THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


SYMPHONIES 

AND   THEIR    MEANING 


SYMPHONIES 

AND    THEIR    MEANING 


BY   PHILIP    H.    GOEPP 


2.^3  i  ^ 


EIGHTH      EDITION 


PHILADELPHIA  &  LONDON 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY 
I  9  I    I 


Copyright,  1897 

BY 
J.   B.  LlPPINCOTT    COMPAHV 


TO 

MRS.  A.  J.  D.  DIXON 

WHO    ENCOURAGED   THE   LECTURES 

FROM   WHICH    IT   GREW 

THIS   BOOK. 

IS 
DEDICATED 


Musicus  qui  numerans  nescit  se  numerare 


PREFACE 


The  plan  of  this  book  is  very  simple  It  is 
really  the  reverse  of  the  traditional.  Little  is 
here  told  of  the  lives  of  the  masters ;  of  a 
composer's  ancestry,  of  the  painful  scale  of  his 
career,  even  of  the  date  of  his  works.  Con- 
crete events  have,  in  themselves,  no  place. 
And  yet,  it  is  believed,  instead  of  a  loss,  there 
is  in  this  very  omission  a  great  gain  of  per- 
sonal interest,  of  insight  into  the  essence  of 
a  master's  individual  quality,  of  his  poetic 
character. 

The  plan  is  to  open  the  book  and  see  what 
is  there,  without  discovering  subtle  stories  or 
graphic  pictures,  avoiding,  too,  a  mere  tech- 
nical analysis.  There  may  be,  in  such  an  ac- 
count of  the  impression  of  a  master  work,  a 
discovery  here  and  there  of  symbolic  signifi- 
cance. The  exact  nature  of  this  middle  road 
cannot  well  be  predicated.     It  is  here  that  the 

7 


PREFACE 

book  must  stand  its  own  defence,  which  lies 
in  the  fulfilment,  not  in  the  words  of  the 
promise. 

There  is,  at  the  outset,  no  value  whatever  in 
a  mere  theoretic  exposition  of  themes  and  de- 
velopment. Undoubtedly  the  subjective  in- 
tensity of  the  impression  is  strongly  to  be 
reckoned  with.  But  there  must  be  the  bal- 
ance, the  rein  which  resists  allegory  run  riot. 

In  such  a  view  is  the  true  mirror  of  the 
master.  It  is  an  unfailing,  perfect  test.  From 
such  a  quiet,  all-surveying  study,  as  one  looks 
at  a  painting  standing  off,  it  is  possible  to  see 
the  pervading  quality,  if  it  is  there,  or  to  de- 
tect its  lack.  The  beauty  will  ever  appear 
more  clearly,  or  the  faultiness,  the  meretricious 
deceit,  the  patched  pretence  of  homogeneous 
whole. 

Another  word  about  the  "  meaning"  of  the 
symphonies.  In  the  title  this  word  has  a 
negative  intent,  quite  as  strong  as  the  positive. 
The  book  is  meant  to  restrain  the  wrong  in- 
terpretation, as  to  urge  the  right.  True  hsten- 
ing  lies  in  the  balance  of  intense  enjoyment 
and  clear  perception.  There  must  be  no  cloud- 
ing by  the  one,  nor  too  much  interference  of 


PREFACE 

translating  thought.  In  a  simple  setting  forth 
of  a  serious  enjoyment  will  be  all  the  "mean- 
ing" that  the  master  will  claim  for  his  work,  or 
the  musician  for  his  art.  But  to  tell  just  how 
far  the  music  gives  the  spirit  of  the  master 
were  idle  in  a  preface,  as  it  is  the  purpose  of 
the  book. 

Thus  the  aim  is  primarily  to  set  forth  the 
impression  of  each  of  certain  chosen  sympho- 
nies, and  through  them  to  get,  at  first  hand,  a 
clear  glimpse  of  the  individuality  of  each  of 
the  great  masters.  Secondarily,  it  is  intended 
to  suggest,  by  the  mode  presented,  an  atti- 
tude in  the  listener  which  will  increase  his 
enjoyment  by  an  intelligent  perception  of  the 
intent  of  the  master,  or  which,  for  critical  pur- 
poses, may  serve  in  testing  a  new  work.  An 
ultimate  object,  which  it  is  not  intended  to 
pursue  categorically,  is  the  suggestion  of  an 
underlying  purpose  in  the  art,  and,  similarly, 
of  its  scope,  wherein  will  be  involved  certain 
incidental  questions  of  the  connection  between 
the  art-work  and  the  intent  or  unconscious 
thought,  the  personal  tone,  even  the  morale^  of 
the  master. 


CONTENTS 

rxcB 

Preface 7 

Chapter  I. — Introductory      13 

Chapter  II. — The  Symphony 23 

Chapter  III. — Haydn 42 

Symphony  in  D  (Peters  Ed.  No.  3). 

Symphony  in  Eb  (Peters  Ed.  No.  1). 

Chapter  IV. — Mozart 68 

Symphony  in  G  Minor. 

Symphony  in  C  Major  ("Jupiter"). 

Chapter  V. — Beethoven 94 

Symphony  No.  3  (Eroica) 100 

Chapter  VI. — Beethoven  (Continued). 

Seventh  Symphony 125 

Fifth  Symphony "i^^l 

Chapter  VU.— Schubert I77 

Unfinished  Symphony 193 

Symphony  in  C  Major 201 

Chapter  VIII. — Schumann 248 

Chapter  IX. — Schumann  (Continued). 

Second  Symphony  (in  C  Major) 27° 

XI 


CONTENTS 


PAGB 


Chapter  X. — Schumann  (Continued). 

Third  Symphony  ("  Rhine") 310 

Chapter  XI. — Mendelssthn 342 

Italian  Symphony 354 

Chapter  XII. — Brahms 366 

Chapter  XIII. — Brahms  (Continued).  j 

Second  Symphony ."Ill 


12 


SYMPHONIES 

AND   THEIR    MEANING 


INTRODUCTORY 

There  are  some  truths  concerning  the  right 

attitude  of  listening  to  music,  which  had  best 

be  mentioned  at  the  outset.     They  are  not  to 

be  proved,  Hke  a  theorem,  in  the  pages  which 

follow ;  there  is  no  such  deliberate  or  definite 

^   intent.      On  the   contrary,  they  seem  almost 

V   axiomatic ;   they  are  fundamental   in  all  dis- 

^    cussion  and  enjoyment  of  music.     But  they 

*7  have  been  so  long  forgotten  that  they  have  a 

^  new  look.     The  present  generation  may  well 

be  reminded  of  them. 

In  so  far  as  they  will  be  regarded  as  necessa- 
rily true,  they  may  stand  as  the  landmarks  of 
the  view,  here  presented,  of  the  great  master- 
pieces.    In  so  far  as  they  may  be  challenged, 

13 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  succeeding  chapters  are  offered  as  exempli- 
fications from  which  their  truth  may  be  con- 
cluded by  a  kind  of  inductive  proof  For, 
unhappily,  the  time  has  not  come  for  a  sys- 
tematic philosophy  of  art,  or  even  of  the  tonal 
branch. 

Agreement  is  wanting  as  to  basic  principles. 
No  one  dares  to  define  the  real  purpose  of  art, 
the  method  of  its  working,  or  even  the  meaning 
of  the  word.  This  youngest  of  the  sisters, 
music,  has  utterly  disturbed  traditional  views. 
Aristotle's  definitions  of  art  will  not  fit  with 
Beethoven's  symphonies.  So,  in  music  espe- 
cially, we  are  too  near,  so  to  speak,  to  take  a 
general  view.  We  are  still  groping  in  the 
bewilderment  of  a  new  paradise  of  sense  im- 
pressions for  some  first  principle,  for  the  fruit 
of  the  tree  of  knowledge,  whereby  we  may 
discern  the  good  from  the  evil. 

The  first  of  these  axioms  is  most  in  need  of 
assertion,  though  its  simple  statement  would 
probably  pass  an  easy  muster.  But  the  attack 
is  always  subtle,  indirect,  and  wide-spread. 

There  is  truth  in  art,  resting  on  fundamental 
-principles ;  its  landmarks  exist ;  without  them  there 
is  no  true  perception,  no  just  criticism.    Very  likely 

14 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  point  of  this  statement  will  be  clearest 
from  the  opposite  fallacy,  which  we  often  hear, 
that  everything  is  good  that  sounds  good.  It 
does  seem  that  this  is  a  critical  time  for  the  art 
of  music.  It  is,  one  might  say,  the  hour  for 
the  declaration  of  independence,  and,  strangely, 
not  of  the  many  from  the  leaders,  but  of  the 
leaders  from  the  many.  In  prose  and  in  poetry 
we  do  not  hesitate  to  apply  the  searching  test 
of  sound  art,  with  clear  principles  and  highest 
ideals.  And  we  are  wont  to  listen  with  re- 
spect to  those  who  are  trained  to  know  and 
to  judge.  There  is  a  natural  leadership  of  the 
few  critics  in  literature,  in  painting,  and  in  ar- 
chitecture. Yet  in  the  most  complex  of  all 
the  arts  we  insist  on  this  rampant  democratic 
dictum^  that  it  is  all  a  rude  question  of  taste. 
Nay,  we  dare  to  hold  that  precisely  just  be- 
cause we  are  not  trained,  we  are  better  quali- 
fied to  judge  ;  that  it  is  the  very  knowledge  that 
unfits  the  critic. 

This  is  surely  a  strange  condition  for  a  great 
art.  It  is  not  wise  to  dispute  such  a  position, 
to  do  more  than  show  its  absurdity.  All  will 
agree  that  it  is  one  of  the  primeval  purposes  of 
art  to  develop  a  sense  of  beauty.     But   how 

15 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

will  the  first  step  ever  come,  if  our  taste  in  the 
original  condition  of  ignorance  is  to  be  the 
touchstone  ?  There  can  be  no  progress,  either 
in  argument  or  in  fact. 

The  fault  lies,  in  reality,  in  that  phase  of 
modern  art  which  casts  to  the  winds  sound 
principle,  clear  process,  and  rests  all  in  the 
sensational  and  emotional  effect,  in  utter  in- 
difference to  the  true  or  the  false,  the  right  or 
wrong  of  the  workmanship. 

We  do  not  intend,  surely,  to  let  music  be  to 
us  a  mere  narcotic,  to  affect  us  in  a  passive,  un- 
reasoning state.  Therefore,  I  say,  now  more 
than  ever  there  is  need  for  true  leaders,  to  save 
us  from  the  false ;  but  far  more  still,  for  each 
to  become  his  own  critic, — to  master  the  prin- 
ciples which  underlie  true  art,  and  the  right 
attitude  of  reception  and  of  perception. 

In  the  classical  past  it  was  our  good  fortune 
to  have  none  but  true  leaders.  We  learned  to 
trust  them  unconsciously  as  well  as  implicitly. 
But  with  later  democratic  stirring  there  came 
inevitable  demagoguism.  Men  appealed  over 
the  heads  of  those  who  had  the  true,  the  saner 
intuition  to  the  ruder  mob  to  whom  clear 
thought    was   naught,  sensational   amusement 

i6 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

all.  Democratic  as  we  must  be  in  govern- 
ment, there  is  no  doubt  that  the  bursts  of 
popular  will  throughout  the  nineteenth  century- 
have  had  a  sinister  effect  upon  art.  The  lower 
instincts  with  the  lower  classes  have  broken 
away  from  the  higher.  Within  the  right 
meaning,  the  true  democrat  in  government  not 
only  can,  he  must  be  the  true  aristocrat  in  art. 
And  thus  we  may  explain  much  of  what  is  com- 
monly charged  of  late  against  art,  under  such 
words  as  degeneration  and  decadence.  Our  only 
cure  is,  as  we  must  act  as  a  democracy,  to 
have  the  feeling  and  thought  of  true  aristoc- 
racy. 

We  must  pay  art,  in  general  and  special, 
the  respect  of  an  intelligent  attitude,  which  we 
can  only  acquire  by  mastering  its  process,  the 
mode  of  its  working,  and  its  intent.  A  cen- 
tury ago  all  this  could  not  have  been  seriously 
thought  in  need  even  of  suggestion. 

The  second  premise  relates  to  a  question 
which  has  always  raged  with  much  uncer- 
tainty :  the  connection  between  the  master's 
thought  and  his  art-work.  How  far  does 
he  translate  a  "  meaning"  into  his  music  ? 
How  far  has  he  an  intent  that  must  be  re- 
a  17 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

garded?  Or  is  it  merely  a  pretty  amusement, 
a  delight  of  the  senses,  by  nice  combinations 
of  beauty  in  tone,  in  color,  and  in  outline  ? 
And  this  latter  alternative  cannot  be  disre- 
garded, when  it  seems  to  be  held  by  one  who 
is  accounted  the  greatest  German  critic  of  the 
day.  Gradually,  however,  the  truth  is  break- 
ing, that,  while  the  apparent  purpose  is  that  of 
mere  delight,  the  true  essence  of  music  is  its  un- 
conscious subjective  betrayal  of  a  dominant  feelings 
in  contrast  with  the  conscious,  objective  depic- 
tion in  poetry  and  in  the  plastic  arts.  At  once 
the  charm  and  mystery  is  the  stress  on  the 
unconsciousness  of  purpose.  And  yet  it  is 
not  strange.  Throughout  life  consciousness 
of  action  or  of  utterance  is  not  only  not  need- 
ful ;  its  effect  is  actually  weakening  as  a  use- 
less diversion  of  the  mind.  It  is  this  very 
absence  of  self-observation  which  gives  music 
its  overwhelming  power  as  a  means  of  expres- 
sion. This  is  in  harmony,  too,  with  that 
modern  experience  which  believes  more  and 
more  in  personal  force  and  influence,  which, 
without  materialism,  believes  less  and  less  in 
the  virtue  of  definite  dogma. 

In  a  talk  with  a  friend,  the  spoken  word  is 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

not  essential,  rather  the  personal  attitude  un- 
consciously betrayed.  So  in  a  symphony  of 
Beethoven  the  ultimate  purpose  is  the  utter- 
ance of  the  high  thought  or  feeling  of  a  great 
man.  However  unconscious  this  aim  may  be, 
I  think  it  may  justly  be  called  the  true  intent 
of  the  master. 

It  may  be  thought,  however,  that  there  is 
here  too  little  stress  on  the  art  proper,  in  its 
perfection  of  form  and  detailed  beauty.  The 
answer  is,  perhaps  subtle :  between  the  in- 
tensity and  nobility  of  the  feeling  which  domi- 
nates the  poet,  and  its  artistic  expression  is  a 
close  and  curious  connection,  and,  further,  an 
analogy.  As,  after  all,  the  apparent,  the  con- 
scious purpose  is  a  beautiful  work  of  art,  the 
nobility  of  the  poet  is  measured  by  the  nobility 
of  his  work  ;  his  clearness  of  vision,  by  the  per- 
fection of  detail.  The  truth  is,  a  high  feeling 
compels  a  great  utterance ;  and  conversely, 
where  there  is  a  beautiful  expression  there  must 
be  nobility  of  the  prompting  thought.  Thus 
the  greatest  poets  will  have  the  purest  form.  In 
proportion  as  the  feeling  or  thought  is  intense, 
its  utterance  will  be  sustained  in  a  work  of 
high   structure.     A    true   poet  does   not   roar 

19 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

himself  into  a  state,  in  order  to  convey  his 
emotion  ;  that  is  not  the  kind  the  world  cares 
to  hear.  Therefore  it  follows,  of  course,  that 
the  feeling  at  the  source  is  only  reached  by  a 
perception  of  the  beauty  of  the  art-work.  And 
the  object  must  always  be  so  to  study  the 
master-works  as  to  feel  most  keenly  the  un- 
conscious intent,  the  mood-purpose  of  the 
creator. 

It  is  clear  how  the  first  premise  leads  to  the 
second  as  a  natural  preliminary,  and  how  each 
reinforces  the  other.  So  the  third  will  prove 
but  a  larger  view  of  the  second ;  and  all  are 
but  different  phases  of  the  whole  truth. 

In  poetry  we  do  not  hesitate  to  regard  the 
moral  quality  of  the  poet.  In  music  this 
seems  never  to  be  thought  of  Yet  in  music 
this  personal  tone  of  the  poet  is  more  potent 
far  than  in  the  other  arts ;  it  is  more  subtly 
conveyed,  and  needs  most  to  be  watched.  All 
moral  influence  is  exerted,  we  know,  not  so 
much  logically  or  intellectually,  as  emo- 
tionally. Music,  which  affects  the  feelings 
most  powerfully,  most  easily  conveys  the  per- 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

sonal  influence  of  the  poet  to  the  hearers. 
We  all  know  the  moral  force  of  companion- 
ship, of  mere  neighborhood.  Yet  how  could 
this  personal  tone  be  conveyed  more  directly 
than  by  a  word  uttered  in  living  figures  of 
sound. 

The  mystery,  of  course,  is  how  we  are  to 
detect  this  moral  quality,  where  there  are  no 
tell-tale  words  and  story.  Impossible,  however, 
as  it  is  to  sum  up  in  systematic  philosophy, 
nothing  is  so  clear  to  the  persistent  and  open- 
minded  listener  in  both  phases,  the  good  and 
the  bad,  the  moral  and  unmoral.  I  have 
pointed  above  to  the  curious  connection  or 
analogy  between  honesty  of  art  and  honesty 
of  feeling.  It  is  equally  true  between  the  dis- 
honesty of  the  one  and  of  the  other.  In  an 
unbiassed  and  intelligent  attitude,  no  category 
of  evidence  in  court  is  clearer  than  from  the 
four  corners  of  the  document  of  symphony  or 
opera.  For  thoroughly  following  out  such  a 
plan  it  might  be  well  to  embrace  works  of 
both  kinds.  It  must  follow  that  if  we  glow  in 
tune  with  the  high  aspiration  of  a  Beethoven, 
we  must  be  ready  to  discern  the  trick  of  the 
false  prophet.     But  in  a  work  like  the  present 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  negative  phase  of  criticism  cannot  be  more 
than  suggested. 

It  is  just  here  that  musical  criticism  has 
been  lacking.  It  has  followed  an  even  tenor 
of  so-called  catholic  tolerance  of  good  and 
bad,  of  the  false  and  the  true.  Again,  it  has 
lost  all  thought,  it  has  taken  no  account  what- 
ever, of  any  element  beyond  the  mere  aesthetic. 
In  fact,  it  is  the  moral  that  rouses  the  greatest 
enthusiasm,  in  art  as  well  as  in  life.  The 
charming,  after  all,  gives  mere  temporary 
pleasure.  It  is  precisely  in  so  far  as  the  moral 
element  has  been  forgotten  that  music  has  not 
been  highly  regarded. 

Thus,  then,  in  the  attitude  of  the  intelligent 
point  of  view  first  insisted  on,  we  see,  from  the 
second,  how  the  intent,  the  feeling  of  the 
master  is  reflected  from  the  particular  work ; 
and  finally,  from  the  third,  how,  from  a  broader 
view  even  than  the  second  (rather  from  a  suc- 
cession of  such  impressions),  the  morale  of  the 
master  shines  clear  throughout  his  art. 


II 

THE   SYMPHONY 

Art,  it  would  seem,  begins  its  career,  like 
man,  by  leaning  on  another.  Thus,  sculpture 
was  first  subordinate  to  architecture.  Paint- 
ing, in  turn,  was  the  foster-child  of  sculpture, 
in  the  beginning  merely  tracing  outlines  and 
features,  much  like  an  infant  writing  with 
guided  hand. 

Music  in  Greece  followed  slavishly  the 
metre  of  the  poetry.*  In  the  early  church,  be- 
fore Gregory,  the  words  of  the  liturgy  were 
intoned  with  complete  subservience  to  the 
rhythm  of  the  verse,  so  that  agreement  of 
singing  was  possible  only  when  the  chorus  fol- 
lowed the  arbitrary  leader. 

It  is  most  valuable  to  see  clearly  the  final 

*  With  all  the  **  discoveries"  of  Pindaric  odes,  nothing 
has  ever  established  the  fact  of  a  Greek  conception  of 
musical  rhythm  independent  of  that  of  the  verse.     Greek 
**  music"  lacked  the  first  requisite  for  a  tonal  art. 
23 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

evolution  of  the  independent  art  of  absolute 
instrumental  music  as  the  latest  link  in  this 
chain.  Leaning  on  the  words  and  story  of  the 
drama,  music  developed,  on  the  stage  of  the 
opera,  melody,  and  its  accompaniment  in  tones 
colored  by  various  blending  and  contrasting  in- 
struments. She  was  preparing  her  pallet.  In 
the  church,  following  the  lead  of  the  service, 
music  was  exploring  all  the  possibilities  of  poly- 
phonic combination  and  of  architectural  com- 
plexity by  algebraic  computation.  But  in 
neither  church  service  nor  in  opera  was  she 
progressing  unaided.  Of  course,  walking  with 
a  cane  is  different  from  depending  on  a  guiding 
parent.  So  differs  the  music  of  Palaestrina  from 
that  of  Ambrose.  But  even  in  the  great  Bach's 
works  music  had  not  thrown  away  all  her 
supports.  She  first  learned  to  tread  her  inde- 
pendent course,  speaking  her  message  purely  in 
her  own  language  of  tones  unaided  by  words, 
when  she  lisped  the  first  sonata,  which,  in 
orchestral  dress,  is  the  symphony. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  entire 
growth  of  the  art  of  music,  and  what  was 
really    the    slow   manufacture   of  its  elements 

and  forms,  was  wrought   within  the  Church. 

24 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

This  development  began  when  to  the  unison 
chant  was  added  the  servile  accompaniment  of 
a  second  voice,  keeping  always  its  unaltered 
respectful  distance.  It  ended  when  all  the 
changes  of  fugal  counterpoint  had  been  rung 
with  mathematical  ingenuity.  But  until  mod- 
ern centuries  there  had  not  been  a  thought  of 
music  without  words,  of  unsung  music.  When 
the  absurdly  artificial  forms  were  abandoned 
by  mutinous  singers,  the  organ  took  the  place 
of  the  unwilling  voice,  and  invited  further 
composition  for  its  special  performance. 

But  this  had  nothing  in  common  with 
secular  instrumental  music  and  its  origin. 
For  the  elements,  we  must  go  back  to  the 
strange  attempts  at  opera  by  Italian  amateurs. 
The  very  convenient  date  of  the  first  opera — 
1600 — is  an  excellent  landmark  in  gauging 
the  growth  of  unsung  secular  music, — the  year 
when  Peri's  "  Eurydice"  was  produced  in 
Florence.  It  is  in  the  formless  preludes  and 
interludes  of  the  players  that  the  germ  of  the 
symphony  lies.  The  first  conception  of  flow- 
ing cantahile  melody,  which  is  the  very  fibre 
and  tissue  of  every  movement,  came  in  the 
early  opera.  (There  is  absolutely  no  kinship 
25 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

between  this  melody  and  the  fugal  theme  of  the 
church  school.)  With  these  the  dance,  of  ob- 
scure origin,  completes  the  foundation  on 
which  sonatas  and  symphonies  were  reared. 

If  we  enter  the  forge  in  which  these  ma- 
terials were  being  welded  into  the  great  forms 
of  the  symphony, — in  other  words,  if  we  study 
the  precursors  ot  the  masters, — we  find,  indeed, 
little  promise  of  intellectual  significance,  or,  for 
that  matter,  of  pleasurable  amusement.  But, 
in  art,  periods  of  exclusively  formal  growth 
always  lack  imaginative  power.  It  is  like 
latent  heat,  when  ice  changes  to  water.  Great 
men,  it  would  seem,  are  content  with  the  form 
they  find,  hiding  the  lines  with  their  fulness  of 
thought.  Shallower  minds,  sensitive  to  popu- 
lar demand,  tinker  at  new  devices  of  outward 
novelty.  Thus,  Sebastian  Bach  did  not  find 
the  sonata  sufficiently  perfected.  Haydn  was 
the  first  master  to  approve.  Therefore,  in  a 
review  of  the  history  of  musical  thought  rather 
than  of  musical  structure,  it  may  fairly  be  said 
that  the  sonata  and  the  whole  school  of  secu- 
lar instrumental  music  did  not  begin  before 
Haydn, 

The  analogy  between  Bach  and  the  secular 

26 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

masters  is  striking.  In  his  earlier  generation 
he  found  nothing  but  the  strict  forms  of  the 
church  school.  He  gave  them  their  essential 
artistic  purpose  ;  he  crowned  their  development 
by  endowing  them  with  the  highest  expression 
of  religious  feeling.  When  a  master  thus 
reaches  the  greatest  height,  a  lower  level  must 
be  started  in  another  direction,  leading  to  a 
second  master. 

If  we  take  a  survey  of  this  new  stream  of 
worldly  composition — melodies  with  artificial 
accompaniment,  digressions  of  rippling  scales 
or  tripping  arpeggios  and  suddenly  intruding 
crashes  of  full  chords — and  contrast  it  with 
what  is  found  in  the  church  school  with  its 
precise,  dignified,  and  elaborate  structure  of 
voices,  independent  in  melody,  yet  interdepen- 
dent in  harmony,  the  question  comes.  What 
new  spirit  moves  here  ?  How  can  there  be, 
almost  at  the  same  time,  two  opposite  phases 
of  the  same  art,  both  honored  by  the  greatest 
masters  ? 

Clearly,  here  is  the  latest,  though  not  the 
weakest,  wave  of  the  Renaissance  pulse.  The 
same  rebellion  against  the  all-absorbing  intel- 
lectual domination  of  the   Church,  the  same 

27 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

resistless  wave  of  earthly  feeling  and  its  ex- 
pression, apparent  in  painting  and  in  the  litera- 
tures of  England,  France,  and  Italy,  is  here 
manifest  in  the  youngest  of  the  arts.  Why 
the  movement  is  so  late  in  music  need  not 
be  discussed  beyond  again  saying  that  the  art 
was  jealously  and  exclusively  fostered  by  the 
Church.  All  its  forms,  its  whole  framework 
had  been  devised  solely  for  worship.  An  en- 
tirely new  garb  must  be  created  before  it  could 
venture  from  the  cloister  into  the  gay  world 
without  great  awkwardness  and  stiffness.  Much 
depth  of  feeling  or  intellectual  emphasis  must 
not  be  expected  of  the  first  century  of  this 
new  phase.  The  early  works  show  their  re- 
actionary origin  by  utter  frivolity  and  shallow- 
ness. Until  an  actual  fitting  form  was  ob- 
tained, there  was  a  constant  striving  after  a 
satisfaction  of  this  very  need,  a  self-conscious 
kind  of  emphasis  of  mere  sound  ;  the  composer 
sought  to  fill  in  as  many  black  notes  as  pos- 
sible. 

The  beginning  of  Haydn's  career  marks  the 
final  attainment  of  this  form,  and  at  the  same 
time   a   sudden   spring  of  true   poetic   feeling. 

The  result  was  what  is  commonly  called  th«. 

28 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

sonata,  which  is  really  what  we  are  consider- 
ing ;  for  a  symphony  is  nothing  else  than  a 
sonata  written  for  the  orchestra.  In  the  light 
of  the  absolute  newness  of  unsung  music  is 
seen  the  fitness  of  the  name  "  sonata,"  that 
which  is  merely  sounded,  in  contrast  with  that 
which  is  sung,  the  "  cantata."  Nowhere,  I 
venture  to- say,  in  any  phase  of  art,  is  the  shock 
greater  than  of  this  burst  from  the  sombre, 
confined,  careful,  intellectual  process  of  the 
cloister  to  the  free,  irresponsible  fancy  dancing 
first  over  the  meadows  and  in  the  forests,  then 
into  the  life  of  men,  the  turmoil  and  the 
triumph  of  war,  the  romance  and  ecstasy  of 
human  affection. 

It  is  clear,  then,  why  the  expected  order — 
first  of  the  less  defined,  second  of  the  more 
clearly  significant  phase  of  the  art — should  be 
reversed.  Within  the  cloister  music  had 
reached  a  high  and  complex  power  of  expres- 
sion of  those  feelings  which  were  there  sanc- 
tioned. Without,  all  was  new  and  vague ; 
there  were  no  words  or  forms  of  expression  for 
the  new  life.  It  must  begin  with  the  ABC 
of  a  new  language.      To   condemn   the   first 

fruits  of  this  stage  for  lack  of  definiteness  of 

29 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

meaning  would  be  to  misunderstand  the  very 
purpose  of  all  art.  While  definite  language  is 
not  impossible  to  art,  this  is  not  its  chief  func- 
tion ;  no  more  is  mere  beauty  of  outline.  If 
a  sentiment  be  expressed  and  transmitted,  the 
medium  of  its  transmission  will  be  entitled  to 
its  place  as  an  art  of  form.  The  language  of 
prose  has  not  the  power  thus  to  express  and 
transmit  all  sentiment,  though  it  may  entitle  its 
field  in  a  rough  sort  of  way.  What  prose  can- 
not, the  other  arts  must  do,  each  in  its  pecu- 
liar region,  not,  perhaps,  without  encroaching 
mutually.  Each  art,  beginning  with  primordial 
feelings,  will  translate  more  and  more  delicate 
shades  in  a  constantly  refining  process,  the 
form  always  reacting  on  the  sentiment  and  sug- 
gesting an  advance. 

This  must  account  for  the  vagueness  of  the 
earlier  great  works  for  instruments.  But  even 
in  Haydn  the  pastoral  element,  the  poetry  of 
nature,  discovered  anew,  is  unmistakable,  as  is 
the  peculiar  playfulness  of  his  humor.  In  fact, 
the  appearance  of  humor  of  any  kind  in  music 
in  the  eighteenth  century  is  as  absolutely  new 
as  anything  can  be  under  the  sun.  Imagine 
how  utterly  inconceivable  it  would  have  been 

30 


SYiMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

to  the  long  line,  stretching  through  many  cen- 
turies, of  the  worthy  fosterers  of  music  in  the 
Church. 

The  sonata  was  said  by  a  German  critic  to 
be  intended  by  the  earliest  writers  to  show  in 
the  first  movement  what  they  could  do,  in  the 
second  what  they  could  feel,  in  the  last  how 
-glad  they  were  to  have  finished.  The  sim- 
plicity of  this  interpretation — and  no  doubt  it 
is  accurate — emphasizes  the  vagueness  of  the 
real  sentiment.  In  the  hands  of  great  men 
the  form  very  soon  attained  a  much  more  dig- 
nified plan. 

In  technicalities  the  essence  is  often  lost. 
There  is  no  value  in  analysis  in  itself  Yet 
a  clear  view  of  the  general  purpose  is  not 
dimmed  by  a  glance  at  those  elements  which 
have  in  them  more  than  mere  technical  value. 
The  question  is  not  merely  what  is  the  general 
purpose  of  the  symphony,  but  what  is  the 
special  value  of  the  accepted  model  in  carrying 
out  this  purpose.  And,  as  has  been  said 
above,  the  first  requisite  in  the  listener  is  an 
intelligent  grasp  of  the  work. 

In  short,  what  is  the  essential  of  the  much- 
mentioned  sonata  form  ;  of  the  outline  of  the 
31 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

other  movements ;  indeed,  of  the  structure  of 
the  whole?  A  few  relentless  wherefores  will 
bring  us  to  the  right  point  of  attack.  Nor  can 
the  answer  lie  in  a  technical  statement  of 
theme,  of  development,  of  tonality,  and  so  on. 
But  the  one  clear  and  grateful  approach  is  by 
an  historic  view,  where  we  see  the  need — the 
real  raison  d'etre — of  each  cardinal  element. 

In  the  first  place,  the  main  stress  of  the  sym- 
phony— indeed,  of  most  absolute  music — is 
centred  on  what  is  called  the  sonata  form.  It 
is  the  mould  in  which  is  cast  the  first  move- 
ment :  the  serious  burst  of  aspiring  thought. 
The  second,  to  be  sure,  is  of  no  less  dignity. 
But  it  is  in  complete  contrast  with  the  stress 
and  strife,  the  stirring  progress  of  the  first.  It 
is  a  calm  lyric  utterance  from  the  high  level  to 
which  the  first  mood  has  ascended.  It  does 
not  need  the  discussion  of  the  other.  Sim- 
plicity of  statement  in  the  verses  of  a  song  is 
its  natural  utterance.  Nowhere  is  the  depth 
of  genius  of  the  highest  master  better  shown 
than  in  the  Andante, — that  profound,  broad 
sympathy  of  Beethoven,  distinct  from  the  stat- 
uesque pathos  of  Haydn,  or  the  stately  grace 
of  Mozart.  Here  was  reflected  Beethoven's 
32 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

highest  trait,  that  which  bound  men  to  him 
most  strongly.  In  the  third  phase  the  feeUng 
of  relaxation  is  undoubted,  and,  fittingly,  the 
form,  even  in  the  highest  flights,  is  based  on 
the  dance.  The  mood  has  passed  from  the 
spirit's  stir  and  spring  through  pathos  to  humor. 
In  its  original  conception  this  effect  of  relief, 
of  restraint  from  the  tension  of  the  early  move- 
ments, was  continued  in  the  last.  A  form 
peculiarly  fitting  for  careless  joy  existed  in  the 
Rondo,  where  the  melody  appeared  and  van- 
ished with  graceful  interludes,  which  later  de- 
veloped into  lesser  tunes.  Discussion  was  sup- 
planted by  a  constant,  playful  alternation  of 
the  various  melodies.  As  the  symphony  grew 
a  more  serious  utterance  of  poetic  feeling,  the 
last  movement  often  rose  to  a  second  climax ; 
and — here  appears  the  meaning  of  form  and 
of  detail — the  rondo  yielded  then  to  the  Sonata 
type. 

What,  then,  was  this  sonata  form  ?  What 
are  the  elements  of  its  power  for  this  new  poetic 
expression  ? 

Again,  in  the  historic  view,  it  is  at  once 
amusing,  pathetic,  and  enlightening  to  see  the 

3  33 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

struggles  which  preceded  the  great  discovery. 
In  Bach's  time  the  approved  form  was  the 
suite  of  dances,  transplanted  from  the  itinerant 
street-players  to  the  new  clavichord  or  newer 
piano-forte.  At  best  this  was  a  mere  series  of 
unrelated  dances,  idealized,  to  be  sure,  with  ex- 
pansion and  polyphonic  treatment.  It  was  the 
holiday  music  of  the  learned  musician,  his  only 
secular  vent ;  and  it  afforded  the  special  form 
for  a  kind  of  public  tournament  between  rival 
players  and  composers.  But,  with  the  best  inten- 
tion to  be  worldly,  there  was  over  it  the  stern, 
ascetic,  intellectual  stamp  of  the  Church  spirit. 
What  was  the  reaction  of  treatment  which 
must  answer  the  reaction  of  secular  feeling? 

The  peculiar  quality,  as  in  the  strict  Church 
forms,  was  an  unrelieved  monothemlsm.  Im- 
pressed with  the  traditional  simple  theme  of 
counterpoint,  men  could  not  escape  it ;  they 
lacked  the  artistic  conception  of  the  dual  ele- 
ment, of  balance,  of  contrast.  The  mystery, 
the  strangeness,  is  that,  not  to  speak  of  the 
eventual  solution,  the  need  itself  was  not  clear. 
And  unless  we  can  see  the  very  need,  we  can- 
not grasp  the  full  meaning  of  the  sonata  and 
symphony. 

34 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

In  a  general  way,  it  was  felt,  there  must  be 
rebellion  against  the  Church  process, — no  more 
learned  counterpoint ;  no  textual  theme  frugally 
sounded  without  harmonic  surroundings,  like 
the  verse  of  a  sermon ;  no  eternal  ringing  of 
its  relentless  burden,  like  the  doom  of  dogma 
without  a  hint  of  repose,  of  cadence, — on  and 
on,  the  voices  ever  multiplying  the  warning 
phrase  to  a  final  massive  climax  of  solemn 
architecture.  Away  with  it  all  I  There  must 
be  no  taint  of  fugue  in  the  new  spirit.  The 
whole  machinery  of  church  forms  seemed  de- 
signed and  fitted  to  an  impersonal,  a  self- 
effaced  contemplation  of  high  dogmatic  truth 
of  the  utmost  solemnity.  Here,  out  of  the 
Church,  men  dare  to  be  happy  and  gay  in  their 
individual  joy  ;  they  dare  to  celebrate  the  woods 
and  the  green  things  of  the  earth.  They  want 
a  complete  summer  holiday  from  the  damp  air 
of  the  Church. 

Now  see  the  features  of  this  new  expression 
as  they  carry  out  this  new  feeling.  There 
must  be  a  better  and  simpler  meaning  for  our 
technical  big  words.  What  seems  the  first, 
the  most  significant,  the  most  potent,  is  a  clear 
sense  of  harmonic  residence,  what  the  musicians 

35 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

call  tonality,  as  against  the  gray  color,  in  the 
fugue,  of  a  key  vague  until  the  end.  Again,  it 
seems,  there  is  the  impulse  to  utter  a  sense  of 
worldly  repose,  in  defiance  of  the  constant 
strife  in  the  fugue,  which  knew  no  rest  until 
the  final  end. 

Nowhere  is  this  contrast  clearer  than  in  the 
piano  works  of  Sebastian  Bach  and  of  Do- 
menico  Scarlatti.  They  were  contemporaries, 
almost  to  the  year.  But  Scarlatti  had  caught 
the  earthly  spirit  in  sunny  Italy,  under  the  in- 
spiration of  his  father  Alessandro,  the  founder  of 
the  new  aria.  Bach,  somehow,  could  never  get 
clear  of  the  shadow  of  the  cloister.  With  the 
German  his  dance-moods  are  still  o'ercast  with 
the  pale  hue  of  meditation.  He  was  glancing 
out  of  doors  through  the  windows  of  his  study. 
The  Italian  was  roving  with  a  firm  foot  in  the 
fields ;  he  was  ringing  out  his  tintinnabulations 
with  clearest  note  of  tonal  serenity  and  cer- 
tainty,— still  always  the  same  one  tune.  He 
could  have  but  a  single  idea  at  a  time  ;  no 
broad  sense  of  balance,  of  contrast,  of  perspec- 
tive. On  such  a  basis  there  could  never  rise  a 
structure  of  much  serious  dignity.  But  this  is 
not  all. 

36 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

We  must  see,  too,  the  strange  alternative  of 
the  quahties  of  Bach  and  of  Scarlatti :  of  vague 
reflection  and  of  clear  tonal  simplicity.  It 
seems  that  tonality  must  be  at  the  expense 
of  depth.  The  voices  were  borrowed  for 
harmonic  subservience,  and  must  cease  to  dis- 
cuss the  them.e.  In  a  sense  they  were  de- 
graded from  counsellors  to  train-bearers.  So, 
in  an  ideal  sense,  there  was  a  temporary  loss 
of  dignity.  But  this  simplicity  was  after  all  a 
gain. 

So  far  the  elements  are  the  same  of  the  other 
secular  moulds,  of  the  song,  the  dance  and 
the  rondo.  We  have  not  yet  come  to  the 
final  typical  trait  of  the  strict  sonata.  It  was  a 
reconciliation  of  the  various  needs  :  first,  of  this 
tonality,  the  sense  of  certain  harmonic  loca- 
tion ;  second,  of  relief  from  monotony  of  single 
melody,  a  sense  of  duality  ;  finally,  of  a  quality 
which  had  been  too  completely  lost  with  the 
fugue. 

And  this  very  stirring  search  has  shown  what 
a  peculiar  place  the  fugue  filled.  Let  us  return, 
for  a  thought,  before  the  days  of  unsung  music. 
Our  art  is  still  walking  hand  in  hand  with  her 
older  sister  Poetry,  but  unmanageable,  restless. 

37 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

One  day  a  master  dreams  his  melody  for  the 
instrument  alone.  Now  it  is  clear  that  music 
must  somehow  atone  for  the  new  want  of 
words.  A  song  deprived  of  words  is  and  re- 
mains incomplete.  The  clear  meaning  is  gone, 
there  is  mere  vacant  beauty.  Here  begins  the 
stir  for  a  definite  language  of  pure  tones.  And 
this  is  significant,  too :  none  of  the  older  forms 
were  the  achievement  of  music  itself,  its  self- 
found  utterance.  They  are  foreign  ;  they  be- 
longed to  poetry,  like  the  song,  or  to  the 
dance,  like  the  minuet.  See,  therefore,  how 
this  new  sonata  form  is  actually  the  first  proper 
mode  of  expression  of  the  pure  art  of  music. 
//  says  something  in  mere  tones. 

From  another  point  of  view,  the  half-con- 
scious want  of  the  early  masters  in  their 
search  was  this :  they  were  dissatisfied  with 
mere  lyric  burst,  mere  singing  of  the  tune ; 
they  must  talk  about  it;  they  must  get  some- 
where. They  quickly  felt  that  melody  was, 
after  all,  mere  theme  or  text ;  there  was  no 
progress  until  you  discussed  it. 

This  element  of  discussion,  of  progress, 
which,  in  a  sense,  had  been  lost  in  the  fugue, 
now  achieved  in  a  novel  way,  was  the  crowning 

38 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

virtue  of  the  new  form  for  sonata  and  sym- 
phony. So  here  is  the  problem :  to  express 
the  definiteness  which  had  been  lost  with  the 
words ;  to  go  beyond  mere  striking  of  the 
melody ;  to  start  the  pace  for  a  genuine  art, 
which,  beyond  creating  pretty  phrases,  will  find 
a  language  for  ever  deepening  and  ever  differ- 
entiating shades  of  feeling,  approaching  the 
clearness  of  verbal  thought.  Finally,  in  the 
structure  of  the  whole  work  will  lie  the  art- 
form,  which  will  build  and  co-ordinate  in 
supplementary  moods  one  homogeneous  ex- 
pression of  a  great  emotional  idea. 

How  this  special  purpose  of  discussion  was 
carried  out,  the  need  being  clear,  will  be  easily 
seen ;  further,  too,  how  each  element — of 
tonality,  of  duality,  of  discussion — reinforced 
the  other. 

The  final  achievement  was  this : 

A  melody  begins  with  clear  intonation  of 
the  key,  by  harmonic  sounding  of  the  main 
chord.  It  is  succeeded  presently  by  a  second, 
which  is  contrasted  in  every  way, — in  character, 
in  movement,  and  in  key.  Now  see  how  duality 
helps  tonality.  Black  is  black,  after  all,  only 
in  contrast  with  white.     So  the  original  tonic 

39 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

key  is  not  really  clear,  until  a  departure  into 
the  complementary  dominant,  with  the  second 
melody.  Thus  the  contrast,  with  well-marked 
cadence,  sharpens  the  effect  of  each. 

When  the  two  melodies  have  been  stated, 
there  is,  of  course,  a  sojourn,  a  cadence,  in  the 
complementary  key,  the  dominant.  This  in 
itself  invites  a  return  homeward  to  the  original, 
or  tonic.  At  the  same  time,  the  clearness  of 
stated  melodies  is  assured  by  a  repetition  from 
the  beginning.  And  now  the  story  really 
begins :  the  characters  are  described ;  now 
they  act  and  talk  ;  the  several  musical  ideas  are 
discussed,  singly  or  together,  to  new  surprises 
of  climax  and  beauty ;  they  take  on  the  guise 
often  of  new  melodies,  or  melodies  of  kindred 
beauty  are  suggested.  Thus  (not  to  bind 
ourselves  beyond  the  hint  of  analogy)  the 
themes  pass  from  the  mere  phase  of  lyric  ut- 
terance to  that  of  epic  narrative,  not  without 
strong  dramatic  power.  Now  must  come  the 
close  ;  and  see  once  more  the  interrelation  of 
key  and  theme,  of  tonality  and  duality.  The 
melodies  reappear  in  the  original  order,  but  with 
change  in  key  ;  for  the  second  must  close  in  the 

tonic.     And,  again,  the  balance  is  maintained  ; 

40 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

for,  while  the  earher  melody  had  the  advantage 
of  first  appearance,  the  second  has  the  last 
word  in  this,  the  principal  tonal  territory  * 

And  thus  a  symphony  (which,  etymologi- 
cally,  means  a  sounding  together,  using,  as  it 
did,  all  the  resources  of  instrumental  sound, 
and  in  Beethoven's  Ninth  even  pressing  voices 
into  service)  had,  from  the  time  of  Mozart, 
the  ambitious  purpose  of  expressing  a  sort  of 
modulation  through  three  or  four  moods  of 
one  dominant  feeling.  I  use  the  word  "feel- 
ing" for  lack  of  a  better.  In  its  highest  phase, 
this  purpose  sometimes  is  a  kind  of  poetic 
view  of  life,  colored  by  what  is  at  the  time  the 
individuality  of  the  composer. 

*  The  association  of  the  first  melody  with  the  tonic 
key  has  in  most  sonata  movements  prevailed  over  the 
need  of  contrast  of  tonality.  In  these  the  final  statement 
of  melodies  has  the  first  in  the  tonic,  follovi^ed  by  the 
second  in  the  same  key. 


41 


Ill 

HAYDN 

Perhaps  the  distinguishing  trait  and  charm 
of  Haydn  is  a  certain  out-of-doors  feeling 
after  church  or  school,  a  dancing  exuberance 
of  childlike  humor  and  hilarity,  what  the  Ger- 
mans call  Ausgelassenheit.  Haydn  never  lost 
this  note.  And  we  must  mark  that  it  was  to 
express  this  feeling  first  and  foremost  that  the 
symphony  was  invented.  Later,  to  be  sure,  the 
symphony  and  fugue  approached  each  other — 
were  even  blended — in  spirit  and  in  form. 

This  discovery  has  a  double  view, — one,  that 
Haydn  was  the  first  to  put  a  mood  into  the 
symphony :  he  was  the  first  great  secular  tone- 
poet.  In  him  feeling  first  mastered  form,  a 
feeling  of  pure  joyousness ;  yet  he  could  rise 
to  a  serious  height  of  solemn  devotion.  There 
was  not  the  subsequent  note  of  defiance,  of 
awful  depth  or  sublimity.  But  Haydn  had  a 
serene  profundity  of  his  own,  and,  moreover,  a 
true  lyric  beauty. 

42 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

The  other  view  is  the  original  simplicity  of 
the  purpose  of  the  symphony,  its  note  of  re- 
action from  stern  complexities  to  a  holiday 
mood.  There  is  no  breath  of  philosophy  in 
the  beginning, — mere  childlike  abandon.  This 
finds  naturally  its  symptoms  and  proof  in  the 
early  form  and  treatment.  And  yet  we  should 
be  farthest  from  the  truth  if  we  ascribed  to 
Haydn  a  lack  of  mastery.  The  striking  fact 
that  the  change  was  one  of  feeling,  is  clearest 
in  the  voluntary  simplicity  of  the  masters  who 
could,  at  the  proper  hour,  write  the  most  pro- 
found counterpoint.  Indeed,  the  tradition  of 
the  older  school  compelled  a  thorough  training 
of  the  musician. 

But  the  earliest  bent  of  structural  creation 
was  in  a  horizontal  direction,  not  vertical ; 
was  in  melody  and  outline  rather  than  in 
simultaneous  polyphonic  combinations.  As 
soon  as  the  form  was  achieved,  the  deepening 
process,  in  both  senses,  began  with  Haydn. 
In  fact,  Haydn  in  his  long  career  (he  wrote 
his  first  symphony  before  Mozart's  birth,  his 
greatest  after  the  latter's  death)  shows  very 
well  the  various  phases  of  the  whole  move- 
ment. 

43 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

In  his  later  works  the  depth  of  treatment, 
united  to  hght  simpHcity,  is  a  most  wonderful 
blending,  a  most  delightful  alternation  of  seri- 
ous playfulness  and  playful  seriousness.  It  is 
impossible  to  see  how  Haydn  can  fail  to  be 
perennial. 

Aside  from  his  undoubted  absolute  value, 
Haydn's  importance  is  in  some  degree  historic 
in  his  position  as  the  pioneer  in  the  expression 
in  great  art-works  of  purely  secular  feeling. 
A  clear  outward  sign  of  this  is  his  creation 
of  the  modern  orchestra.  It  is  not  unjust 
to  say  that  the  orchestra,  with  predominance 
of  strings,  was  the  original  conception  of 
Haydn. 

With  Bach  the  orchestra  belonged  to  the 
spirit  of  the  Church,  of  frugal  Protestant  piety  ; 
with  Handel  it  was  devoted  to  the  dramatic 
celebration  of  biblical  themes,  or,  as  in  Gluck, 
of  mythological  heroes.  With  all  it  was  stiff, 
undeveloped,  and  harsh,  under  the  shrill  domi- 
nation of  the  classic  pipe  and  reed.  With 
Haydn,  as  the  strings  uttered  the  soft  hum  of 
woods  and  meadows,  it  was  a  joyous,  exultant 
praise  of  nature.  And  see  the  significance  of 
the  titles  of  Haydn's  oratorios,  the  "  Creation," 

44 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  "  Seasons  ;"  contrast  them  with  earUer  sub- 
jects. 

But  with  all  this  relative  position,  there  is 
no  question  of  Haydn's  absolute  value.  His 
adagios  may  have  a  mock-heroic,  a  pseudo- 
pathetic  air ;  but  his  andantes  are  true  lyric 
feeling. 

With  Haydn  the  symphony  began  as  salon 
amusement,  and  soon  reached  the  height  of 
poetic  expression  of  exuberant  joyousness,  of 
playful  humor,  and  of  a  certain  idyllic,  lyric 
utterance.  With  Mozart  it  deepened  in  inten- 
sity and  broadened  in  scope.  Losing  the  limi- 
tations of  bourgeois  humor  and  joy,  it  took  a 
more  cosmic  view.  We  shall  see  later  a  great 
step  over  both  masters.  In  Haydn  and  Mozart 
music  still  had  strongly  the  entertaining  atti- 
tude ;  it  was  there  principally  to  give  pleasure. 
There  was  no  suggestion  of  prophecy,  of  warn- 
ing, of  defiant  proclamation  of  truth  in  general, 
or  of  any  definite  truth  in  particular.  Music 
did  not,  as  yet,  in  Beethoven's  words, "  strike  fire 
from  the  soul  of  man."  Haydn's  holiday  spirit, 
complete  in  contrast  with  the  Church  school, 
was  limited  in  comparison  with  his  successors. 
In  Mozart  a   classic   depth  and  balance  was 

45 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

gained.  Boyish  exuberance  yielded  to  maturer 
serenity.  Depth  of  pathos  was  first  explored. 
Haydn's  was  the  song  of  the  child  ;  Mozart's 
of  the  youth ;  Beethoven's  of  the  man.  When, 
in  Beethoven,  feeling  controls  the  form,  the 
advance  in  poetic  expression  of  passion  seems 
as  great  as  Haydn's  original  step. 

Symphony  in  D. 

(Peters  Edition,  No.  3.) 

Haydn  must  always  begin  with  the  grave 
Adagioy  which  is  as  solemn  as  it  is  short. 
Often  it  seems  hardly  meant  seriously.  One 
cannot  help  thinking  of  the  king  of  France 
and  twenty  thousand  men.  All  this  majestic 
striking  of  attitudes,  to  run  off,  after  a  few 
bars,  into  the  sprightliest  of  Presto  themes : 


Presto.  Strings. 


^^ 


i 


4: 


The  bass,  as  contaion/y,  doubled  below. 
46 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

-,-,,  rn  j^ 


ES^jEEj^S^iEi 


:i 


reversed  later,  as  countertheme : 

Tutti. 


:%£= 


^ 


J:^^ 


^ 


e 


s 


/ 


^ 


s/ 


^^ 


5t 


^^ 


'^m 


The  ascending  melody  in  thirds. 


sf 


All  fits  so  perfectly  that  every  one  is  uncon- 
sciously dancing  alone,  yet  in  perfect  agreement 
with  the  rest.  Everything  is  so  simple, — the 
theme,  the  rhythm,  the  most  obvious  modula- 
tions, that  one  cannot  see  the  secret  of  the 
eternal  freshness.  In  the  most  natural  way,  a 
new  melody  and  rhythm   is  made  from  the 

47 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

countertheme  by  merely   shifting  the  accent, 
using  question  for  answer. 

The  second  melody  brings  no  great  change 
of  feeling : 

Strings. 


No  one  has  succeeded,  like  Haydn,  in  being 
childlike,  and,  withal,  fundamental ;  joyful, 
hilarious  even,  yet  cosmic ;  light  and  simple, 
with  pervading  complexity. 

After  statement  and  repetition  of  melodies, 
the  Presto  continues,  according  to  tradition,  to 
discourse  on  the  second  theme.  Here  we  may 
expect  the  highest  polyphony,  or  contrapuntal 
discussion  between  the  voices ;  and  we  are  not 
disappointed.  As  in  string  quartet,  the  violins 
each  have  their  say  on  the  text  of  the  melody, 
— now  successively,  now  by  alternate  inter- 
ruption,  or,  again,  in  dual  agreement.     Later 

the   fagots    put   in    their   word,    then    all    the 

48 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

woodwind ;  finally  the  brass  and  all  join  in  the 
jolly   countertheme,  with    much    irresponsible 

With  higher  octaves i  ^  v        1        J^  k. 

^  i  ...       Wl   ±\    hfi  ±  J    I 


Vt 


^/t 


Strings  doubled  below.    Harmony  in  higher  wind. 

merriment  in  related  phrases.  The  re-entrance 
of  melodies  in  original  order  begins  in  the  ac- 
customed way,  but  suddenly  turns,  against  all 
rule,  into  the  developing  episode  of  the  second 
subject,  and  ends,  naturally  though  irregularly, 
with  final  singing  of  the  principal  theme.  The 
whole  movement  shows  how  the  masters  who 
first  moulded  the  forms  of  the  symphony,  were, 
in  a  way,  least  bound  by  its  shackles, — had  the 
most  perfect  freedom  of  utterance. 

The  Andante  is  German  folk-song  of  the 
purest  and  simplest.  It  seems  that  the  most 
natural  intervals  and  harmonies  are  the  proper 
utterance  of  the  Germans ;  all  other  "  folk" 
must  take  up  with  the  strange  and  eccentric. 
The  nearer  they  are  akin  to  the  Germans,  the 
more  they  share  in  the  rights  of  the  tonic  and 
dominant.  Like  many  of  Haydn's  slow  move- 
ments, this  is  largely  a  variation  of  one  melody, 

4  49 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Andante.  Violins. 


'^^^i!^-t^- 


Strings  and  Fagots. 


i 


5 


^^ 


^ 


S2 


m: 


i 


^=t 


s^ 


with  but  a  single  foreign  episode, — the  Minore. 
The  latter,  in  its  fragmental  phrases,  its  pom- 
pous and  eccentric  stride  of  principal  and  lesser 
figures,  in  the  general  clatter  and  noise,  seems 
intended  mainly  to  give  relief  to  the  simplicity 
of  the  principal  melody, — perhaps  to  add  a 
tinge  of  dignity. 

Haydn's  scherzos  always  have  a  strong  "  out 

of  school"  feeling, — this  one  especially ;   only 

it  is  a  short  recess.     The  themes  of  the  two 

middle  movements  are  plainly  discernible  at 

50 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


first  hearing.     But  mark,  after  the  first  burst  of 
the  whole  orchestra : 


Menuetto.  Allegretto. 
Full  orchestra. 


the  playfulness  of  the  answer,  whispered  by- 
strings  and  flutes : 


i-A-^UMs^u 


1 


'-f=^ 


Doubled  below. 


and  the  comic  mocking  of  basses  and  trebles 
in  the  first  cadence.  The  Trio  in  its  first  eight 
bars  has  always  been  somewhat  of  a  mystery : 
why  Haydn  should  have  used  what  seems  the 
most  modern  of  bizarre  effects, — a  continuous 
sounding  of  the  tonic  chord  in  the  strings, 
with  a  melody  in  the  flutes,  which  almost 
craves  a  momentary  glimpse  of  the  dominant. 
5' 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Haydn  probably  wanted  a  touch  of  the  hurdy- 
gurdy.  It  must  be  well  marked  that  the  second 
time  he  clearly  yields  to  the  demands  of  the 
dominant,  though  still  keeping  a  tonic  pedal- 
point.  The  development  of  the  Trio  is  much 
more  important  than  of  the  Scherzo,  discours- 
ing on  a  more  suggestive  theme,  a  phrase  from 
the  Trio  melody : 


U^ 


It  is  full  of  a  humor  and  spirit  of  its  own. 

Strange  to  say,  the  Finale  (marked  Vivace)  is 
quite  the  most  serious  phase  of  the  symphony. 
Recess  is  quite  over ;  we  are  back  in  school — 
not  to  say  church.  For  the  violins,  like  a  well 
trained  choir,  are  striking  up  a  melody  that 
sounds  much  like  a  good  old  chorale  : 


Finale.    Vivace. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


-J^ 


cA 


;^i 


^ 


i=t 


-^— * 


^^-T 


-) 1 W 1 


:f=^ 


Simply  stated,  without  a  note  of  extended 
cadence,  it  is  strictly  repeated  as  if  to  make 
sure  we  know  it.  It  is  like  the  preacher  who 
states  his  text  with  all  serious  unction,  and 
repeats  it,  to  give  warning  of  the  great  sermon 
which  is  to  follow.  We  are  sure  it  is  a  rondo, 
mainly  because  it  is  not  sonata-form ;  the  car- 
dinal theme,  in  its  constant  rounds,  never  lets 
us  forget  the  text  of  the  sermon.  After  some 
playing  of  themal  phrases,  there  comes  one 
of  those  dynamic  passages,  where  all  join  to 
make  a  noise,  and  finally  drop  exhausted  into 
a  cadence ;  whereupon  the  strings,  with  a  little 
help  from  the  wood,  gently  toss  about  snatches 
of  the  melody,  and  the  rest  pitch  in  again  in 
general  turbulence.  At  last  the  strings  rehearse 
the  theme  in  really  serious  manner,  with  but 
slight   obligato  variation.     The    rest,  too,  join 

53 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

properly  and  respectfully  in  singing  the  hymn 
in  its  original  harmonies.  Soon  comes  another 
of  those  terrible  phases,  another  Minore,  where 
Papa  Haydn  tries  so  hard  to  look  very  fierce, 
without  anything  special  to  say ;  merely  gen- 
eral muttering,  with  the  same  old  faces.  We 
all  know  it  is  only  to  break  the  more  pleasantly 
into  his  own  benignant  smile. 

Here  is  the  fugue,  which  we  knew  was 
coming  from  the  emphatic  way  the  theme  was 
first  enounced.  With  such  a  theme  it  could 
not  be  resisted.  It  begins  in  the  first  violins, 
with  the  seconds  tripping  in  obligato  behind, 
before,  and  all  around,  until  they  finally  take 
up  the  theme,  and  the  violas  "  hold  the  candle." 
Best  of  all  is  when  the  cellos  come  in  and  the 
rest  all  play  about.  Of  course,  the  violas  have 
their  turn,  too.  Finally,  the  wood  make  a 
trial  at  the  theme,  while  the  violins  go  on 
without  attending  to  their  ineflfective  attempts, 
and  finally  run  away  from  them  on  a  side  path. 
At  last  the  whole  orchestra  joins  in  the  fugue 
with  all  possible  magnificence  and  solemnity, 
until  the  last  verse,  which  is  sung  once  more 
as  at  first. 


54 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Symphony  in  Bh.. 
(Peters  Edition,  No.  i.) 

Here,  again,  is  Haydn's  beginning  Adagio^ — 
very  beautiful ;  yet  somehow  it  seems  a  mere 
*'  attention,"  or  the  formal  prayer  on  entering 
church ;  or  it  is  Uke  the  child's  game,  where 


\f— 


Adagio. 


fe 


-i 


e=2=: 


^ 


fei3: 


fe--4=^ 


-0- ^     T_^ 


3 


:ir 


9 


serious  pretence  but  leads  to  frivolous  surprise. 
Perhaps  it  does  give  a  certain  serious  tone  to 
the  whole.  But  pathos  was  never  Haydn's 
strong  point.  So  he  is  glad  to  give  way  to  the 
merry  dance  of  the  Allegro^  like  a  monk's  dis- 
guise thrown  off  by  the  dancer.  Of  course, 
our  symphony  has  not  quite  emerged  from 
the  frivolous  stage. 

The  melody  is  at  once  delightful  in  itselfj 
and  promising  for  "  talking  about"  later  on : 

55 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Allegro  con  spirit o. 

172 


i 


17 


K 


:p=^=p; 


^ 


-tT— t^- 


? 


^- 


all  in  Haydn's  favorite  strings,  while  the  wood- 
wind merely  answer  in  a  noisy  acclaim  in  a 
rather  unimportant  way,  with  loud  calls  and 
echoes, — very  playfully,  too,  as  when  oboes, 
fagots,  and  strings  softly  sound  the  theme, 
and  then  all  answer  in  frightening  chorus : 


Oboe 


There  is  a  queer  bustling  figure  which  looks 
as  though  we  had  heard  it  before  : 

56 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


^ 


ZL J- 


s=s* 


-^ — i 


fflXSuLTZlI^ 


Bass  doubled  below. 


but  we  are  sure  we  have  not. 

At  last,  a  dancing  melody  comes  along  in 
not  too  foreign  a  key,  quite  as  a  merry  after- 
thought, and  sets  the  whole  orchestra  dancing 
with  it : 


^^ 


tX    JL:. 


^ 


^g 


4       # 


&^ 


±t 


P 


m 


n.n 


1  Jl:    -i-j"^ 


itfl: 


1 


f=^ 


/WZ, 


i 


m 


s 


p— IJ 


pf 


k^- 


57 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

And  now,  after  repeated  statement  of  both 
melodies,  begins  Haydn's  typical  phase  of  ar- 
chitectural lightness.  Complexity  usually  sug- 
gests seriousness.  But  with  Haydn  it  is  the 
mood  of  old  madrigals,  of  general  merry- 
making. Yet  the  depth  of  treatment,  when 
analyzed,  is  greater  than  of  fugues ;  only  it  is 
spontaneous,  and  therefore  the  more  perfect. 
There  is  a  delicious  conflict  of  rhythm ;  and 
so  profound  is  the  architecture  that  we  must 
abandon  minute  perception.  We  can  merely 
enjoy  the  general  daze  of  varied  harmony  and 
structure. 

Again  enters  the  curiously  familiar  strain 
which  we  cannot  place  ;  more  of  playful  and 
sometimes  solemn  repartee  of  higher  and  lower 
strings  on  the  main  theme ;  introducing,  again, 
with  delicious  surprise,  the  dance  of  the  second 
melody  in  a  new  light,  while  the  woodwind  are 
pertly  talking  back. 

Then  in  orthodox  simplicity  the  melodies 
enter  in  the  original  order,  until — something 
strange  happens.  Out  of  a  noisy  tumult, 
closing  in  hushed  cadence,  the  monkish  figure 
reappears ;  the  first  melody  is  sung  again. 
And  now  we  see  the  secret  of  the  strange 
58 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

melody;  for,  following  immediately  upon  the 
former,  it  proves  to  be  nothing  but  its  mock- 
ing echo  in  very  quick,  rhythm.  The  like- 
ness between  monk  and  dancer  does  not 
appear  until  the  strain  is  rung  in  the  suc- 
cessive variations,  penseroso  and  allegro.  On 
the  whole,  it  does  seem  that  Haydn,  though 
he  is  charged  here  with  serious  intent,  has 
again  sacrificed  all  to  his  mood  of  friendly 
humor  half  unconsciously,  like  an  amiable 
person  turning  off  a  severe  word  with  a  pleas- 
antry. 

But  the  Andante  is,  for  Haydn,  unusually 
solemn.  The  playing  by  strings,  however, 
restores  the  typical  quality.  There  is  some  of 
the  stateliness  that  Papa  Haydn  would  almost 
deliberately  assume :  "  Now  we  must  be  very 
serious." 


Andante.  Strings. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

But  it  has  the  fine,  strong  diatonic  simpHcity 
which  marks  all  great  music ;  and  this  appears 
especially  in  the  major  guise,  later  on. 

It  is  all  a  series  of  variations  on  this  melody. 
The  first,  in  the  major,  has  much  of  that  Ger- 
man simplicity  of  intimate  sentiment.     In  the 


strings  doubled  above  in  the  woodwind. 


tU.'  ^  iU  3^ 


second,  there  is  a  curious  dramatic  effect  of 
the  original  minor,  by  a  simple  addition  of 
a  melody  in  the  oboe.  The  third  is  a  jolly 
version  of  the  major  theme,  in  quick-tripping 
runs,  with  a  few  warm,  friendly  chords  in  the 
horns,  to  keep  up  the  temperature.  The  next 
is  heroic,  somewhat  a  la  Chevalier  Gluck;  but 
our  hero  is  always  making  desperate  attempts 
to  stand  stiffly  upright ;  he  is  constantly  un- 
bending, and  betraying  his  natural  kindliness. 
60 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

But  he  is  doing  his  best  to  look  ferocious,  and 
the  next  minute  he  is  apologizing  all  the  more 
sweetly.  Now  the  major  alternative  has  a 
special  pastoral  feeling,  with  the  melody  in  the 
oboes,  and  counterphrases  in  the  flutes,  which 
later  join  the  main  song. 

The  end  is  impressive.  First  the  voices 
steal  in  one  by  one,  making,  unconscious  one 
of  the  other,  a  harmony  of  four  melodies. 
Then  they  spruce  up,  and  all  march  in  best 
uniform,  in  full  pride  of  their  combined  mag- 
nificence, not  without  an  occasional  lapse  into 
quaint  naturalness  of  feeling. 

Here,  in  the  third  movement,  is  the  ideal 
minuet  feeling ;  the  dear,  old-fashioned  stateli- 
ness  and  formality ;  the  pretty,  prim  quaint- 
ness,  with  naive  reiterations  of  the  last  phrase, 
high  and  low  : 


Menuetto.   Tutti  (the  melody  an  octave  above  in  the  flutes) 


'^^^i=^ 


'-^^ 


^ 


=^? — *■ 


% 


■^ — ^ 


6i 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


«/, 


J4^  j^._4-^ 


i^^ 


^ 


5 


-N-=l- 


ISt 


gfctrF— g 


r 


^W=^ 


S 


^ 


tit 


But  presently  it  breaks  into  a  treatment 
much  too  broad  for  the  old  minuet,  where  the 
voices,  instead  of  strumming  stiffly  in  rhythmic 
accompaniment,  answer  back  with  the  theme 
in  their  own  independent  way. 

The  Trio  seems  a  flight  from  the  restraint  of 
the  rigid  dance.  In  a  gracefully  free  melody, 
indeterminate  in  tune  and  rhythm : 


i^^^^g^ 


^Sl 


^=^^^ 


62 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


the  strings  enter  in  turn,  on  their  own  sweet 
will.  It  is  a  Uttle  interlude  in  the  dance ;  a 
quiet  tete-h-tete ;  at  the  end  formalities  and  atti- 
tudes are  again  assumed. 

In  the  Finale,  one  of  the  broadest  of  Haydn's 
rondos,  there  is  from  the  beginning  a  fine 
duality.  From  the  first  phrase  there  is  the 
stamp  of  highest  mastery.  Every  voice  comes 
in  with  something  important  to  say,  not  a  mere 
polite  accompaniment  of  "  Yes,  yes,"  "  So  say 
we  all."  So  there  is  from  the  start  a  profundity 
which  almost  makes  us  fear  what  the  climax 
must  be.  At  the  outset  there  are  two  distinct 
melodies, — one  a  fundamental  motto  in  the 
horns,  the  other  a  gay,  careless  phrase  in  the 
strings : 


Allegro  con  spirito. 


^ 


Horns. 

Violins. 


-s>- 


^ 


63 


r  f 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


M^E 


mm 


-7S>- 


Clarionet.       '  '  I         I       I       I* 

Then,  while  these  are  ringing  in  our  ears,  a 
third  adds  to  the  sweet  bewilderment.  But 
before  the  third  appears,  the  various  strings 
enter  in  "  Three  Blind  Mice"  fashion,  each 
without  waiting  for  the  other  to  finish,  and, 
what  is  more  wonderful,  they  sing  the  answer 
in  the  same  way. 

Ever  and  again,  in  the  true  rondo  spirit,  the 
friendly  motto  comes,  in  highest  simplicity. 
There  is  a  big,  ponderous  episode,  where  the 
motto,  sounded  loud,  does  not  stop  in  strict 
conclusion,  but,  like  a  philosophic  proposition, 
deduces  itself  at  length.  The  whole  is  like 
dogma  solemnly  proclaimed  on  church  organ 
(in  the  bass  the  second  melody  is  marching), 
where  over  all  lesser  interests  the  great  truth 
shines  and  dims  the  others  : 

Higher  wood  and  strings  doubled  below  in  the  brass. 

Cellos,  violas,  and  fagots  doubled  above  in  clarionets. 
64 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


^ 


#^ 


U 


i 


i 


Basses  added. 


But  with  Haydn  this  mood  never  lasts  long ; 
the  earthly,  human  quickly  breaks  through. 

To  the  duet  of  motto  and  melody  is  added 
a  smooth-running  ohligato  in  strings.  Pres- 
ently, after  a  noisy  close  of  the  whole  or- 
chestra, comes  what  seems  the  gem  of  the 
whole.  In  simple  monomelodic  statement  it 
seems  entirely  new,  sonorously  sung  by  the 
cellos,  while  the  upper  strings  strike  the  chord  : 


Strings. 


=i=a^ 


m 


65 


P  Cellos. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


There  is  a  complete  lyric  contrast  with  the 
former  dramatic  polyphony.  The  cellos  are 
answered  by  flutes,  and  then,  again  replying, 
soar  into  one  of  those  romantic  modulations 
which  we  thought  were  of  a  later  master.  It 
foreshadows  clearly  the  poetry  of  Schubert's 
Unfinished. 

Then  through  a  noisy  chorus  of  lesser  im- 
portance by  a  quiet  cadence,  like  an  informal 
conversation,  we  come  back  to  the  original 
duet  of  motto  and  melody.  But  here  is  still 
more  bewildering  architecture,  —  more  and 
more  massive,  overpowering,  until  suddenly  re- 
appears the  single  romantic  figure  in  a  new 
color  of  light/  At  the  end  of  the  phrase, 
however,  there  is  something  new, — the  round 
bassoon  quietly  chimes  a  note  of  assent,  almost 
too  unimportant  to  mention ;  but,  after  all, 
there  are  two  instead  of  one.     Again  the  Schu- 

66 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

bert  modulation,  that  makes  us  think  of  Erl- 
king  and  Death  and  the  Maiden.  A  loud  ac- 
claim brings  us  to  our  original  key  and 
beginning ;  again  the  delicious  duality.  But 
in  this,  the  real  return  to  the  first  part,  every- 
thing is  reinforced ;  all  the  reserves  are  called 
out ;  so  that  the  first  seemed  but  preliminary  to 
this  magnificence  and  to  the  enchanting  con- 
fusion. Once  more  the  Schubert  melody.  And 
see  the  number  of  mere  strumming  beats  we 
must  wait  for  the  melody, — -just  so  many.  We 
must  have  good  patience,  and  be  ready  at  the 
exact  time ;  otherwise  we  are  out  of  tune, — a 
fine  example  of  the  musician,  the  unconscious 
arithmetician.  Twelve  meaningless  strums,  and 
then  the  melody,  divinely  ordained  to  come 
just  at  this  moment.  Now  there  is  more 
beautiful  duo  singing  in  friendly  quarrel. 

At  the  end,  like  a  blessing,  the  motto  is 
broadly  sounded  by  all  the  wind  but  the 
flutes,  as  if  they  really  meant  it  as  final  conclu- 
sion, while  the  strings  are  loyal  to  their  wordly 
counter-tune. 


67 


IV 

MOZART 

Until  to-day,  Mozart's  greatness  has  been 
unquestioned.  It  devolves  upon  our  genera- 
tion to  uphold  him  against  voices  that  with 
faint  praise  or  slurring  epithet  are  seeking  to 
relegate  him  to  a  mere  historic  shelf. 

Mozart  suggests  the  question  which  con- 
stantly arises  in  Art  between  perfect  form  or 
beauty  of  outline,  and  intensity  of  emotional 
content.  Where  must  the  stress  be  ?  Is  he  the 
greater  master  who  charms  with  external  beauty 
and  cunning  skill  in  detail, — to  whom  a  harsh 
note  is  impossible  ?  Or  is  it  the  poet  who 
recklessly  breaks  the  fetters  of  form,  ruthlessly 
violates  sacred  canons ;  who  shocks  our  ears 
with  discord,  and  yet  fills  us  with  the  sense  of 
meaning,  a  vital  feeling  which  impels  to  resolu- 
tion and  action.  The  question  is  perhaps  not 
of  the  kind  that  can  be  answered  directly.  It 
is  to  some  extent  a  matter  of  temperament. 
We  can  conceive  of  great  poets  of  both  kinds. 

68 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

It  is  the  fashion  of  a  Romantic  .'.ge  to  decry 
the  Classic.  The  same  question  arises  between 
Schumann  and  Mendelssohn,  between  Tenny- 
son and  Browning.  Nor  must  it  be  solved. 
Rather  is  it  important  not  to  rush  impetuously 
to  a  conclusion  which  unjustly  excludes.  Yet 
it  bears  on  the  question  of  the  ultimate  purpose 
of  Art,  and  it  may  be  well  to  take  some  side 
here.  From  Aristotle  to  a  very  recent  time  it 
has  been  thought  that  beauty  was  the  one  aim 
of  Art,  its  creation  the  only  function.  This 
was  more  natural  in  an  age  that  knew  chiefly 
the  plastic  arts  of  sculpture  and  architecture. 
There  lies  the  reason  why  the  transgressions  of 
a  Beethoven  were  so  bitterly  resented.  If-  he 
was  not  beautiful,  he  was  nothing.  Through 
Beethoven,  mainly,  it  has  become  clear  that 
beauty  is  merely  the  means ;  that  the  chief  end 
of  Art  is  the  communication  of  feeling  through 
the  medium  of  works  of  beauty  ;  that  beauty  is 
indispensable  as  test  of  true  feeling ;  that  high 
thought  compels  a  noble  utterance.  But  the 
feeling  is,  after  all,  the  main  end ;  for  its  ex- 
pression there  may  be  a  temporary  hiatus^  a 
violation  of  aesthetic  sense,  in  order  to  deepen, 

by    contrast,    the    final   effect.      The   element 
69 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

of  sequence,  of  musical  sense,  has  arisen 
as  paramount,  if  not  supreme.  It  is  clear 
how  the  same  passage  may  be  beautiful  in 
one  connection,  impossible  in  another.  Every- 
thing lies  in  the  idea,  the  intent ;  nothing  in 
the  absolute  independent  beauty  of  separate 
sounds. 

But,  it  must  always  be  remembered,  violation 
may  never  be  in  ignorance  of  rule, — only  by 
the  master  who,  knowing  its  reason  and  spirit, 
has  a  higher  purpose  in  his  conscious  trans- 
gression of  the  letter. 

It  is  certainly  unquestionable  that  mere  cun- 
ning of  workmanship  can  never,  in  itself,  be 
assurance  of  highest  art.  In  so  far  as  this  is 
commonly  the  basis  of  Mozart's  supremacy  as 
master,  we  must  withhold  our  homage.  But, 
in  reality,  there  is  a  better  reason.  Mozart 
does  not  stand  simply  for  graceful  perfection 
of  detail  and  outline ;  there  is  expressed  in  his 
works  the  spirit  which  gives  life  to  all  this 
beauty,  including  with  the  humor  of  a  Haydn 
something  of  the  cosmic  scope  of  a  Shake- 
speare, to  whom  he  is  often  likened.  His  very 
completeness  of  form  is  typical  and  expressive 

of  the  breadth  of  his  sympathy.     In  Bach  the 

70 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

broadest  view  of  the  religious  spirit  finds  utter- 
ance in  the  highest  development  of  the  Church 
style,  strongest  in  resistance  to  poetic  emotion. 
Mozart  crowns  the  secular  outburst,  deepening 
its  pathos,  idealizing  its  humor,  adding  a  seri- 
ous, heroic  note  which  Beethoven  afterwards 
expanded.  The  symphony  passed  in  these 
masters  from  the  stage  of  amusement  to  poetic 
expression  and  the  utterance  of  a  stern  mes- 
sage. 

We  remember  the  note  of  simplicity  of 
Haydn,  in  natural  reaction  from  the  com- 
plexity of  the  Church  school.  It  is  very  im- 
portant to  see  that  this  in  no  wise  suggests  a 
lack  of  learning;  on  the  contrary,  that  it  was 
a  purely  voluntary  choice  of  a  means  of  ex- 
pression. Simplicity  was  necessary  to  express 
the  new  secular  feeling,  and,  furthermore,  a 
primitive  clearness  was  needed  to  convey  in 
absolute  music — the  sonata — what  had  before 
depended  upon  words, — in  the  cantata.  And, 
then,  the  achievement  of  a  new  form,  proper 
to  instrumental  music,  involved  a  stress  on 
horizontal  structure,  at  the  expense  of  the  ver- 
tical, of  counterpoint. 

Soon  these  temporal  needs  were  filled.  The 
71 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

melody  or  aria  was  attained,  with  full  swing 
and  clear  tonality ;  and,  likewise,  the  basis  of 
a  form  of  wonderful  fitness  for  the  exposition 
and  discussion  of  melodic  thoughts.  Now 
the  note  of  simplicity  had  been  rung  enough. 
Even  in  Haydn  we  have  seen  a  new  profund- 
ity which  somehow  does  not  mar  his  childlike 
lightness.  But  Mozart  had  an  altogether 
broader  view  and  a  profounder  sense.  He 
reflects  in  music  the  cosmic  breadth  and  the 
mystic  depth  of  his  great  contemporary,  the 
poet  Goethe,  and  of  the  best  German  thought 
of  his  time. 

In  Mozart  the  special  prominence  of  any 
typical  feeling  is  less  striking  than  in  Haydn. 
Therefore  his  music  seems  less  characteristic. 
But  this  comes  not  so  much  from  a  lack  of 
intensity  as  from  greater  breadth, — an  equal 
intensity  in  various  moods. 

Symphony  in  G  Minor. 

(Breitkopf  and  Haertel,  No.  40.) 

Is  there  anywhere  more  poetry  or  art,  01 
more  of  the  blending  of  both,  than  in  this 
work  of  Mozart's?     It  is  always  a  recurring 

question  whether  Mozart's  symphonies  are  not 

72 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  greatest,  partly  because  of  their  very  sim- 
phcity,  of  their  childUke  innocence  of  a  bur- 
den of  meaning, — because  of  their  pure  beauty 
and  formal  perfection.  It  does  seem  that  in 
this  respect,  of  pure  beauty,  the  G  Minor  is 
the  highest  of  all ;  and  beauty  is,  after  all, 
paramount  in  the  purpose  of  art,  even  in  these 
latter  days.  There  is  a  fine  Hellenic  lack  of 
strife  and  strain,  a  high  serenity. 

It  is  observable  that  Mozart's  limitations  do 
not  appear  in  themselves,  but  only  in  negative 
comparison  with  other  masters ;  and  yet  in  this 
very  comparison  some  of  the  highest  traits  ap- 
pear. The  true  symphonic  mastery  is  hardest 
to  describe.  It  may  break  upon  us  during 
the  course  of  this  book.  But  whatever  it  is, 
Mozart  certainly  possessed  it  in  a  peculiar 
degree.  His  was  the  time  when  pure  beauty, 
unalloyed  with  pale  thought  or  dim  meaning 
or  grim  woe,  was  filling  men's  minds.  Schu- 
bert's Unfinished  Symphony  falls  within  this 
period. 

But  the  special  type  of  this  phase  is  Mozart's 
G  Minor,  which  begins  with  the  entrancing 
melody,  like  a  dashing  brook  in  early  spring, 
with  the  delicacy  of  gentlest  rain : 

73 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Alh'i;yo  molto.  Strings.      With  lower  octaves. 


.5=d=.5d=*^ 


^K-t^— ♦^— - — ^^^ ■ — N=^« — *-# 


There  is  no  lack  of  the  foil  of  strong  me- 
lodic contrast.  But  the  motion  and  sequence 
of  the  whole  is  so  subtly  perfect  that  we 
cannot  stop  to  label  the  themes.  Immediately 
after  the  first  comes  a  transitional  theme : 


Violins  sustained  by  wood  an  octave  above. 

-A-=r- --z=  z^-' -— zzgz  zp-^ 


Doubled  in  octaves  above  and  below. 
74 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


:^ 


t=f^ 


that  is  really  more  important  than  the  regular 
second,  because  it  lends  the  quality  of  stiff- 
ening lime.  It  is  curiously  noteworthy  that 
neither  of  the  secondary  themes  has  any  part 
in  the  discussion  after  the  repeat  of  subjects, 
which  is  entirely  on  the  text  of  the  principal 
melody.  It  is  what  might  be  called  a  live 
counterpoint,  where  the  bass  is  as  individual 
as  the  soprano,  a  real  discussion,  a  very  logi- 
cal exchange  of  retorts  and  repartees.  Here 
we  are  nearer  the  secret  of  true  symphonic 
mastery,  when,  after  the  melodies  have  made 
their  rounds  and  courtesies,  the  best  is  yet  to 
come. 

Your  lyricist,  who  expends  himself  upon  his 
melodies,  worries  through  the  period  of  treat- 
ment, the  Durchfuehrung,  as  best  he  can.     The 
master  feels  the  real  purpose  of  themes :   for 
75 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

discussion.  Mozart's  development  in  the  be- 
ginning Allegro  of  the  G  Minor  is  not,  as  in  the 
Jupiter,  pecuHarly  contrapuntal  or  architectural, 
but  is  typically  a  discussion.  It  is  strange  what 
a  dogmatic,  pugnacious  quality  appears  in  so 
graceful  a  theme  by  this  alternative  assertion 
between  violins  and  bassos.  Its  peculiar  beauty 
seems  better  fitted  for  the  lighter  retorts,  best 
of  all  for  the  simple,  unchallenged  song,  after 
all  strife  is  over. 

The  Andante  is  in  Mozart's  most  serious 
mood.  Surely  any  musician,  hearing  it  for  the 
first  time  uninformed,  would  say  Beethoven, 
which  again  proves  Mozart's  versatility  and 
surprising  depth.  After  all,  it  seems  often 
that  Beethoven  in  his  profoundest  feeling  is 
grounded  directly  upon  Mozart.  We  cannot 
shelve  Mozart  as  yet.  He  must  go  down 
with  the  nineteenth  century  on  the  first  line  of 
classics.  As  the  Finale  of  this  symphony  is 
prototype  of  Beethoven's  Scherzo  in  the  Fifth, 
so  this  Andante  strikes  the  serious  note  of  the 
slow  movement  of  the  same  Beethoven  sym- 
phony.    And  the  Finale  of  the  Jupiter  has  its 

like  nowhere  save,  perhaps,  in  Brahms. 

76 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

See  how  subtly  the  melody  steals  in,  almost 
beyond  exact  quotation.  It  lies  somewhere 
between  the  violin-voices,  as  they  quietly  enter 
in  canon  order,  and  the  basses,  in  the  graceful, 
mysterious  curve  of  their  ascent : 


Andante.  [In  Strings  and  Horns.] 


i^ 


5 


-j^   1  y 


p 


z 


-r^s-r^. 


:g~1 1 


-^^-n- 


J?ll  s 


± 


m 


s 


^ 


-=1 =1 =1- 


But  in  all  there  is  something  of  the  pro- 
phetic sternness  which  we  think  of  in  Bee- 
thoven as  against  Mozart.  To  be  sure,  it  is 
instantly  relieved  in  the  lighter  answer : 


77 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


i 


±=W. 


S*^ 


/•is/ 


^ 


S 


sf 


1 


fefc^ 


«^ri 


S 


but  it  is  renewed  with  an  added  ripieno  voice 
in  the  high  viohns  over  the  recurring  first 
melody. 

The  second  melody  has  a  tripping  phrase  in 
its  constant  wake, 


Strings, 


#AJ 


4# 


^rclft!? 


Ill 


Wood. 


^^i 


^ 


which,  later,  added  to  the  first,  increases  the 
solemn  complexity.  It  is,  after  all,  more  than 
mere  fine  art, — a  broad,  deep,  poetic  thought. 
Or,  rather,  does  not,  in  fact,  art  best  express  the 
real  profundity  ? 

78 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

After  the  clangor  of  discussion,  the  main 
melody  steals  in  with  even  greater  solemnity. 
It  grows  ever  more  complex,  more  human, 
more  big  with  meaning,  significant  in  its 
many  voices,  its  many  phrases,  all  singing  to 
the  same  end. 

It  seems  almost  greatest  of  all  Andantes — 
certainly  of  Mozart's — in  point  of  depth  and 
mastery.  There,  as  in  the  last  movement  of 
the  Jupiter  symphony,  is  seen  how  by  high  and 
profound  art  you  approach,  ipso  facto ^  nearer  to 
clear  meaning, — at  least,  to  a  clear  definition 
of  the  feeling.  We  can  understand  Mendels- 
sohn's remark  that  music  is  a  more  exact  lan- 
guage than  prose  or  poetry.  This  must,  of 
course,  depend  upon  some  such  premises  as : 
that  the  highest  and  best  of  man's  thought  has 
in  it  more  of  feeling  than  of  dogma  ;  that  in 
proportion  as  it  is  more  precious  it  is  less  capa- 
ble of  statement  in  set  terms.  As  part  of  this 
musical  language  of  feeling,  counterpoint^  such 
as  this  of  Mozart's,  is  like  a  variety  of  symbols  or 
illustrations  of  the  same  idea ;  but  they  are  pecu- 
liarly reinforcing,  as  they  are  simultaneous,  and 
harmonious  in  the  beauty  of  their  union. 

It  seems  as  if  Mozart  must  have  lived  in 

79 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


these  six  weeks,  in  which  he  wrote  his  three 
greatest  works,  as  never  before  or  after.  Are 
we  curious  what  his  thoughts  were  ?  The  true 
answer  is  here,  in  the  symphonies  themselves, 
— far  better  than  any  verbal  account  that  even 
he  himself  could  give.  And  this  only  leads  us 
back  to  the  discussion  we  thought  we  had  just 
taken  leave  of. 

With  all  the  bright  humor  of  the  Menuetto^ 
what  a  masterful  ring !  A  kind  of  Titans' 
dance,    perfect    in    its    easy,    heavy,    strange 

Menuetto.  Allegro. 


^EE^ 


3=3^ 


P 


r^ffl 


Por  strings 


r 


r 


wood,  and  horns,  -with 


fuller  harmony. 
\ 


P 


S: 


^!±i:4: 


f=T 


£ 


:-     :^    T^ 


^ 


k 


^ti 


m 


-^— ^ 


¥ 


ill 


80 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


rhythm, — lacking  grace   only  if  lightness   be 
necessary. 

And  then  at  last — in  the  Trio — the  purely 

Trio.   Strings. 


I 


ss 


-J—J— i- 


i^^N 


w 


£=3: 


-J—*-i- 


P 


PP^ 


#JtS'J     s     y- 

-1— ff="=1- 

— ^ — .i — 

^ 

-J — ^ 

r  f 
— 1 — 1 — 

^5^"       S_^ ^ 

^?-r"^ 

=*— j— 

human,  all  tenderness,  delicacy,  especially  in 
the  dainty  ending : 


Strings  doubled  above  in  woodwind. 


19: 


i 


p 


i 


^S 


^ 


^^ 


-^? J^ 


^ 


8i 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

The  coincidence  has  often  been  mentioned 
between  the  theme  of  this  Finale  and  that  of 
Beethoven's  Scherzo  in  the  Fifth  Symphony,* 
It  is,  to  be  sure,  exact  in  the  first  eight  notes, 
disregarding  the  rhythm.  But  here  is  our  op- 
portunity. With  all  the  literal  similarity  there 
is  an  absolute  unlikeness  in  essence.  This 
shows  many  things,  and,  first,  the  wrongness  of 
our  literal  way  of  looking  at  music,  as  if  a 
man  could  have  a  monopoly  or  patent  on  a 
succession  of  notes  merely  because  he  was 
first  to  light  upon  them.  It  shows,  too,  how 
the  essence  of  music  is  different  from  the  com- 
mon belief:  how  it  is  purely  one  of  mood 
and  feeling.  The  Beethoven  theme,  with  the 
grim  irony  of  the  dance-step  (to  quote,  for  the 
nonce,  in  another  key),  is  in  austerest,  sardonic 

Allegro. 

■^  '-      !# 


i 


ka=i= 


humor.  In  Mozart,  in  "  common  time,"  it  is 
purest  playfulness.  Of  what  use,  if  we  know 
the  notes,  can  quote  or  even  play  them,  if  we 

*  See  the  description  and  quotation  below. 
82 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Finale.  Allegro  assai. 


^ro  as 5 at.      i  — .^  , 


■s 


M 


5i 


jt« 


*6t: 


d= 


:?=:^' 


i^z 


1 — r 

/j,  wt7A  harmony  in 
higher  wind. 


rrr 


1/ 


Tul 


'S^k± 


-(2 02 


^ 


^=^ 


i& 


lack  the  perception  of  feeling  which  makes 
identical  themes  really  antipodal.  With  Mozart, 
it  is  all  a  jolly,  wild  revel  of  childlike  joy,  well 
earned  after  the  profound,  serious  absorption  of 
the  earlier  symphony.  After  the  depths  of 
the  fFellschmerz,  after  big  thoughts  of  a  uni- 
verse, it  is  good  to  be  dancing,  like  pure  chil- 
dren. So  the  second  melody  is  in  simplest 
Haydn  humor. 


Strings. 


Was  there  ever  anything  so  brilliant  as  the 
development.       Pompous,    eccentric    striding 
83 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

about,  as  if  terrible  things  were  impending, 
and  then — the  most  impish  dancing  under  the 
very  noses  of  the  same  figures  that  looked  so 
solemn.  But  soon  the  imps  get  in  a  wild 
maze  of  dance.  We  are  dizzy  looking  at 
them ;  we  can  no  longer  follow  the  leader. 
Each  seems  independent  of  all  the  rest,  yet 
they  never  even  jostle.  Somehow,  they  all 
make  a  perfect  picture  ;  they  seem  to  dance  as 
a  curious,  complex  whole,  a  simulation  of  wild 
disorder.  Gradually  they  simmer  down  to  a 
lull.  It  all  ends  in  the  joyous  simplicity  of 
the  beginning. 

The  G  Minor  does  seem  the  greatest  of  all 
symphonies — when  we  hear  it.  But,  then,  it 
is  really  the  test  of  a  symphony  that  you 
prefer  it  to  all  others  when  you  hear  it,  and 
this  must  be  an  excuse  for  a  subjective  treat- 
ment. There  is  a  right  and  wrong,  a  false  and 
true  in  art,  but  there  is  no  necessary  gradation 
in  rank  of  the  masterpieces. 

The  "  Jupiter"  Symphony,  in  C  Major. 

(No.  41  of  Breitkopf  and  Haertel.) 

Were  Mozart  and  Haydn  as  conscious  of 
the  high  dignity  and  capacity  of  the  symphony 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

as  Beethoven  ?  They  worked  towards  it,  but 
they  were,  in  a  sense,  still  in  the  formative 
period.  But  this  was,  again,  their  strength, 
both  in  point  of  unconsciousness  and  of  formal 
beauty. 

The  contrast  is  very  complete  from  the  G 
Minor.  We  miss  the  fine  depth  of  sentiment. 
But  instead  there  is  a  certain  intellectual 
breadth,  profundity,  and  vigor.  In  nothing  is 
the  contrast  sharper  than  in  the  general  plan. 
We  have  seen  the  early  climax  of  the  G 
Minor,  and  the  gentle  descent  in  the  Finale. 
■^  the  Jupiter  the  first  three  movements  seem 
mere  prelude  of  the  last. 

The  first.  Allegro  Vivace,  begins  with  an  elec- 
tric burst  of  the  whole  orchestra  in  a  sparkling 
phrase,  which  with  its  inversions  seems  to  unite 
the  whole  symphony  in  a  common  conception. 

Allegro  vivace. 
Tutti. 


J      Doubled  in  upper  and  three  lower  octaves. 


There  is  no  defined  melody.     It  is  all  like  a 
broad  fanfare,  to  show  the  breadth  of  scope 
85 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

and  the  intellectual  pitch  of  the  whole.  There 
is  a  constant  tendency  to  short,  terse  legends 
in  tone.  Not  until  the  keen  air  of  the  original 
key  is  forsaken  is  there  a  lapse  into  gently 
swinging  melodies,  of  which  the  second,  in 
particular,  is  a  grateful  gliding  into  a  more 
placid,  a  more  human,  perhaps  a  more  frivo- 
lous mood. 

Strings  (the  melody  in  octaves). 


i 


-=^-^ 


^E^ 


^ 


W 


^-t 


Jtii4-t^t3tizA=:Mz±L 


pizz. 


r 


5]_JS^_ 


^ 

1      K 


E: 


TTi  rm 


EEa 


9 


gagig: 


I 


rn^  HTj 


f  * 


i 


j^jL 


^ 


But  the  development  begins  in  light  humor, 
with  charming  counterpoint.     And  this  shows 


86 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

an  innocence  of  anything  profounder  than  a 
vague  cheeriness.  Neither  the  first  nor  second 
movement  has  the  profound  feeling  of  the 
G  Minor.  But  the  whole  symphony  deepens 
as  it  proceeds.  And  so  in  the  Andante,  as 
the  first  theme  is  rather  formal  and  stately  in 


,-^( 


TJ 


Andante  cantabile. 
Strings  (muted). 


S^ 


^~-r^'r_ti 


p 


J. 


X 
^  . 


J  U  Tutti  in  octaves. 


s 


3=--^ 


±z: 


:SJ=^ 


:i= 


V 


z:^ 


P 


^=i: 


m 


k — 5^ 


=1!= 


/•"T"      Tutti 
J        in  octave 

-/ 


its  mood,  the  second  is  fairly  steeped  in  senti- 
ment: 

87 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Strings  (the  melody  reinforced  in  thirds  in  the  wood). 


^ 


1 


A^mj^^ 


t 


is- 


J^n 


^m. 


=J=?=F=? 


m 


^^ 


Flutes  and  Horns. 


E^ 


^. .# 


m 


=t 


^■. 


-^— 7# 


? 


ed^-..ffffT  -rf4^ 


0^ 


i 


^s^=?^=^i 


P 


-f^^f-rr^^^^f^ 


^■■^bN^ 


I     I     I     I     ! 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

There  begins  the  real  song, — the  poetry  of 
the  story ;  and  from  this  point  the  treatment 
of  the  first  theme  is  richer  and  fuller. 

The  Menuetto^  with  all  its  charm  of  lightness 
and  dainty  swing,  cannot  compare  with  that  of 
the  G  Minor  in  vigor  or  depth.  It  is  a  pure 
dance,  while  the  other  was  more  than  was  bar- 
gained for. 

But  in  the  Finale^  the  reverse  of  the  G  Minor, 
there  is  the  most  thrilling  architecture,  all  out 
of  a  theme  of  four  notes,  united,  augmented, 

Finale.  Allegro  molto. 
Strings. 


i 


=^P=P=?=:^ 


y~?~y~y 


l^i¥^ 


f  r M fX^\:f\^^^^^^^^^ 


diminished.  The  vagueness  of  the  first  move- 
ment is  justified  ;  the  whole  is  with  a  broadly 
poetic  conception,  which  is  really  much  more 
Greek  than  Gothic.  There  is  Jupiter  Tonans. 
The  view  is  always  Olympian  and  manifold, 
taking  on  a  great  cosmic  complexity.  In  the 
wake  of  the  main  subject  come  other  phrases. 
One  in  the  bass  recalls  the  beginning  of  the 
whole  work : 

89     . 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Woodwind  with  octave  below  and  above. 


i 


3= 


-S> 

upper  octave. 


=S!=? 


/ 


Violins  with 


E,f^=t=,^^^^ 


-^i-r-p 


Cellos,  with  violas  above  and  basses  above. 

After  a  full  cadence  rings  out  what  has  been 
called  the  "  hammer  theme," — might  be  called 
the  "  thunderer :" 


/«  strings  and  wood,  doubled  in  octave  below 


-^:>~^- 


55235 


^*=« 


^ 


^ 


f 


P^g 


:^^— ^^ 


^ 


f=p:f-'^ 


pg^ 


carried  on  in  two  voices,  one  a  third  above  the 
other. 

At  the  end  of  this  rumbling  energy  in  the 
forge  of  the  gods  comes  a  fugal  fabric  in  five 
separate  voices  from  the  strings  on  the  motto, 
sung  in  quiet  fancy,  each  entering  voice  shut- 
ting off  the  last  word  of  its  forerunner,  thus : 

90 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


-•=H»- 


t^ 


i^f=F= 


^ii: 


3 


U 


^.^fULt. 


g^r'^-r^ei 


so  all  the  violins  come  in,  from  first  to  basso. 
Then  echoes  the  blast  of  the  full  orchestra, 
with  the  theme  above  and  the  hammer  phrase 
below.  Then  a  new  counter-figure  of  impor- 
tance is  developed : 


lif: 


/   - 


J?    =    :i: 


jr 


also  entering  fugally. 

Then  comes  the  sudden  change  to  the  gentle 
second  melody,  still  in  the  violins.     But,  see. 

Strings. 


--^ 


3 


^ 


jft 


tJ 


■rajj 


p 


zHTiiis 


£ 


-©>- 


91 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


■^——0 

TTiTrTr-T 


it  is  of  the  same  flesh  and  bone  with  the  first, 
a  stolen  rib.  Around  its  disguised  entrance 
the  former  phrases  are  constantly  hovering. 

Presently  there  is  a  compact  forceful  passage 
in  the  (inverted)  second  theme,  without  a 
moment's  loss  of  melodic  swing,  without  a 
suspicion  of  the  lamp ;  on  the  contrary,  with 
constantly  added  strength  and  vigor,  and  a 
peculiar  sense  of  economy  and  mathematical 
perfection,  so  that  we  cannot  but  recall  the 
"  unconscious  arithmetician."  Now  follows 
the  most  royal  counterpoint,  the  sparks  flying 
from  the  shock  of  discord,  all  with  surest  touch 
and  perfect  harmony. 

The  development  {Durchfuehrung)  begins 
more  reflectively.  But  the  counterpoint  is  so 
dazzling,  so  overwhelming,  that  only  by  in- 
tense expectancy,  looking  again  and  again,  the 

92 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

sunlight  is  too  bright,  you  can  discern  the 
components,  shading  the  eyes  and  standing 
farther  back.  But  perhaps  the  general  dazzle 
is  the  real  intent,  rather  than  spelling  out  each 
theme.  A  wonderful  work,  with  the  stunning 
alternative  of  hammer  themes  in  contrary  mo- 
tion, and  a  subtle  insinuation  of  the  motto  ! 
At  last  the  motto  appears  boldly  in  its  original 
guise  in  the  basses,  with  enchanting.  Schubert- 
like modulation  from  mystery  to  certainty. 

At  the  end,  after  a  reprise  in  the  respective 
keys,  there  is  the  most  marvellous  episode  of 
all.  The  motto,  inversion,  and  diminution  in 
one,  and  the  other  two  themes,  all  in  perfect 
harmony,  are  enough  to  give  Bach  a  headache. 
There  is  an  unquenchable  thirst  for  new  state- 
ments, new  guises.  The  conception  is  of  the 
boldest  intellectual  span.  It  stamps  Mozart's 
as  one  of  the  most  broadly  constructive  minds 
the  world  has  possessed.  It  is  indeed  the  ne 
plus  ultra  of  Art. 


93 


BEETHOVEN 

Two  great  traits  stand  out  as  we  view  the 
advance  over  the  masters  we  have  been  con- 
sidering, by  the  one  who  stands  at  the  height 
of  secular  expression,  if  not  of  all. 

To  use  technical  words  seems  like  travelling 
in  a  circle ;  for  they  must  always  be  explained. 
Yet  there  is  a  certain  indispensable  rough  con- 
venience about  them.  Development,  then,  is, 
after  all,  that  which  gives  life  and  reality  to 
music,  as  to  all  human  thought.  It  seems 
sometimes  as  if  any  one  could  make  a  tune  by 
thinking  hard  enough  or  long  enough.  Then, 
melody  may  be  reminiscent ;  it  is  always 
partly  so.  But  if  you  can  talk  with  sequence 
and  coherence,  you  are  a  master  of  the  magic 
language ;  it  is,  then,  all  your  own.  Bother 
the  theme, — you  can  say  something  logically, 
deductively,  consecutively. 

This  Beethoven  carried  to  an  undreamt 
power ;  Schumann  developed  it  later  wonder- 

94 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

fully  in  certain  narrower  lines.  Sometimes  it 
seems  as  if,  by  comparison,  Haydn  and  Mozart 
tied  the  melodic  sections  togetiier ;  or  used 
the  devices  of  counterpoint,  however  master- 
fully, for  their  own  sake ;  or,  at  least,  while 
they  wrote  with  sequence,  they  did  so  with  a 
certain  consciousness,  with  more  emphasis  on 
utterance  than  on  content.  In  Beethoven,  for 
the  first  time,  everything  becomes  subordinate 
to  the  expression  of  a  great,  continuous,  homo- 
geneous thought  or  feeling.  Still,  in  all  justice, 
certain  fundamental  differences  of  the  masters 
must  be  reckoned  with.  Mozart  liked  perfec- 
tion of  form  in  itself;  he  had  a  keener  sense 
than  Beethoven  for  the  beauty  of  the  utterance. 
He  did  not,  therefore,  like  Beethoven,  rebel 
against  form  for  the  sake  of  rebelling.  There 
may  possibly  be  a  tendency  to  consider  each 
succeeding  master  too  distinctly  as  overshadow- 
ing those  before  him.  Mozart  and  Beethoven 
were  diametrically  opposite  in  temperament, 
and  the  former  is  not  merely  a  stepping-stone 
to  the  latter.  In  certain  moods,  Mozart  reaches 
an  expression  than  which  a  more  perfect  cannot 
be  imagined.  But  in  reality  and  force  of  pas- 
sion, Beethoven  undoubtedly  far  surpassed  him. 
95 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

The  first  trait  seems  to  lead  immediately  to 
the  second,  though  at  first  glance  they  do  not 
seem  so  closely  akin.  In  other  words,  it  is 
Meaning  which  now  becomes  more  important 
than  Beauty  in  itself.  Beethoven  first  became 
less  conscious  of  the  dignity  of  detail  than  of 
the  general  plan  or  mood-purpose.  In  Bee- 
thoven we  first  see  the  gray  hue  of  a  distinct 
significance ;  or,  better,  perhaps,  of  a  defined 
kind  of  feeling,  instead  of  the  vague  prattling 
of  Haydn  and  Mozart.  The  latter  were  con- 
tent to  be  in  an  irresponsible,  joyous  state,  or 
else  they  had  the  tears  ready.  They  accepted 
their  fate,  their  surroundings,  their  institutions 
unmurmuringly.  They  remained  little  above 
menials  in  the  houses  of  the  nobility.  They 
were  content,  like  good  children,  to  be  happy 
out  of  doors,  in  the  woods  and  meadows ;  to 
go  to  the  established  church  and  sing  its  ser- 
vice ;  to  obey  the  authorities, — glad  to  be 
allowed  their  wages,  to  please  their  patrons. 
They  were  in  the  Grubb  Street  stage  of  music. 
To  be  sure,  at  times  there  were,  in  the  younger, 
moments  of  solemn  wandering,  even  of  bold 
revel.     But   this,  too,  was  in  the  established 

order. 

96 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Now  comes  a  man,  a  counter-figure,  only- 
nobler,  of  that  other  man  of  the  time  across 
the  Rhine,  whom  the  former  celebrated  in  a 
symphony.  But  in  their  high  loyalty  to  his 
ideals,  the  works  of  Beethoven,  as  compared 
with  the  degeneration  of  Napoleon,  show 
something  of  the  nobility  of  art  as  compared 
with  statesmanship. 

^\  Beethoven  was  first  a  thinking  man.  He 
took  seriously  himself,  his  surroundings,  and 
institutions,  social  and  political.  In  deed  and 
fact  he  was  true  to  the  ideal  of  his  thought. 
He  recognized  the  real  mission  of  art — but 
slowly  dawning  upon  us — to  utter  the  highest, 
profoundest  emotions  only  by  means  of  beauty 
of  expression.  He  dethroned  Beauty  and  set 
up  Feeling.  Thus  for  himself  and  for  art  he 
achieved  the  energy,  the  power,  which  rouses 
to  action,  does  not  lull  to  sleep. 

His  personal  behavior  betrayed  his  temper, 
not  innocent  of  rudeness,  when  he  completely 
reversed  the  accustomed  relations  of  the  nobil- 
ity and  the  artist.  Politically,  he  was  in 
strongest  sympathy  with  the  struggles  in  France 
for  individual  freedom,  for  the  principles  on 
which  stand  our  American  republic  and  na- 
7  97 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

tional  life.  This  was  the  prompting  motive 
of  the  Eroica  Symphony.  Napoleon  then  was 
the  champion  of  Justice,  Equality,  Democracy, 
Common  Sense,  even  of  Universal  Brother- 
hood. What  Schiller  dreamed  in  his  "  Freude,'" 
here  was  thought  a  heavenly  reality.  Thus 
Beethoven  found  in  the  opposite  sphere  of 
action  the  echoing  voice  to  his  half-conscious 
mutterings  and  rebellion  against  the  tawdry 
and  tyrannous  feudal  system,  under  which  the 
European  continent  languished.  In  the  Fifth 
Symphony  is,  perhaps,  most  distinctly  the  ut- 
terance of  this  spirit ;  though,  wherever  Bee- 
thoven boldly  and  knowingly  breaks  the  fetters 
of  form,  he  shows  by  unconscious  analogy 
the  quality  of  his  democratic,  iconoclastic 
temper. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  symphonies  them- 
selves, it  is  necessary  to  touch  on  the  true 
limits  of  meaning  in  music.  We  are  apt  to- 
day to  become  supercilious  about  "  programme 
music."  Its  nobility  lies  in  the  fact  that  the 
inner  content  rises  superior  to  the  outward 
beauty.  But  the  question  is  as  to  this  meaning. 
As  it  was  once  thought  translatable  into  human 
prose,  the  language  of  commonplace,  useless 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

for  permanent  things,  and  as  it  was  found  want- 
ing, the  reaction  was  natural  to  the  modern 
theory  of  an  HansKck :  that  music  is  a  mere 
whimsical  combination  of  tonal  figures  without 
inner  content  or  significance. 

The  meaning  is  certainly  there,  and  it  is  the 
true  kernel ;  but  it  is  an  emotional,  not  an 
intellectual  meaning, — the  kind  that  is  the  es- 
sence of  poetry,  religion,  and  all  good  things  in 
the  world, — the  personal  element  which  makes 
affection.  And  no  other  form  of  utterance  is 
so  powerful  for  its  expression  as  is  music.  In 
reality,  it  seems  to  exist  least  where  there  is 
most  intellectual  meaning,  as  in  a  treatise, 
perfect  in  logic. 

But  the  danger  of  seeking  an  exact  meaning 
in  music  is  great.  Of  the  two  errors,  the  nega- 
tive attitude  is  infinitely  the  safer ;  it  at  least 
brings  no  ridicule  upon  the  art.  As  we  have 
said  before,  the  true  essence  of  music  is  its  un- 
conscious subjective  betrayal  of  a  dominating 
emotion,  in  contrast  with  the  conscious,  objec- 
tive depiction  in  poetry  and  in  the  plastic  arts. 
And  it  is  in  this  unconsciousness  that  lies  its 
overwhelming  strength. 


99 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Symphony  No.  ^,  in  E^  {Eroica). 

Much  has  been  said  by  critics  to  reconcile 
Beethoven's  inscription  "  to  celebrate  the  mem- 
ory of  a  great  man,"  to  explain  the  apparent 
irrelevance  of  the  Scherzo  and  Finale.  They 
cannot  see  the  fitness  of  humor  and  triumph 
after  the  funeral.  Marx  sees  pictures  of  a  busy 
camp  and  "  the  joys  of  peace."  Berlioz  finds 
in  the  Scherzo  the  solemn  rites  of  Greek  war- 
riors at  the  grave  of  their  leader.  If  you  must 
have  a  scenic  whole,  Wagner's  is  the  best, — 
Action,  Tragedy,  Serenity,  Love.* 

It  seems  clear  that  all  the  commentators  in- 
sisted on  a  series  of  pictures  ;  they  must  be  told 
a  story  about  each  movement.  No  work  could 
be  fitter  to  test  the  true  limits  of  meaning  in 
music.  Taking  a  natural  view  of  the  com- 
poser's attitude,  he  wrote,  in  the  first  place,  a 
symphony  (not  a  series  of  illustrations,  not  a 
narrative),  of  which  the  burden  was  A  Great 
Man.  All  pictorial  or  narrative  association 
must  be  abandoned,  even  of  a  chronological 
order.     It  is  a  symphony  with  the  dominating 


*  A  good  account  of  the  various  interpretations  is  given 
in  Upton's  "  Standard  Symphonies." 

lOO 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

feeling  of  a  Hero^  in  its  various  moods.  His 
death  was,  after  all,  as  an  event,  a  small  ele- 
ment. The  song  of  mourning  must  come,  if 
at  all,  in  the  second  movement,  not  merely  ac- 
cording to  tradition,  but  by  the  highest  sense 
of  fitness.  In  the  whole  "  celebration"  the 
mourning  note  must  be  subordinate.  It  is 
somewhat  the  thought  of  Hawthorne  that 
death  is  an  incident  of  our  lives  of  far  less  im- 
portance than  many  a  thought  of  an  unevent- 
ful day.  The  lightness  of  rhythm  of  the 
Scherzo  only  gives  the  touch  of  highest  joy, 
opening  into  the  triumphant  Finale. 

In  the  dangerous  task  of  technical  descrip- 
tion, the  question  is.  How  close  is  the  relation 
between  music  and  meaning?  In  proportion 
to  greatness  it  seems  that  the  conception  is 
apart  from  the  details.  In  lesser  masters  there 
is  little  below  the  sound.  With  the  great  you 
must  stand  off  as  from  a  canvas  of  larger  scope  ; 
you  must  not  be  too  near  the  individual  figures 
to  catch  the  general  plan. 

While  the  beginning  is  almost  graceful,  the 
serious  intent  is  soon  disclosed  where  the  or- 
chestra enters  united ;  the  dance  of  the  violins 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Second  Violins,  Violas. 

Allegro    ^'^  ^^ 

con  brio.  13!  *  I^  * 

-5-- -z^' 


S: 


=^ 


tt- 


feg 


5* 


ee^ 


^ 


Cellos. 


ceases  in  the  abrupt,  severe  tutti  chords,  with  a 
rough  syncopation  which  we  think  original  in 
Brahms.  '  Still,  this  may  be  a  temporary  con- 
trast. The  question  is  which  is  to  predominafer 
Then  the  melody  sounds  solemnly  in  united 
basses  and  trebles,  with  full  orchestra ;  but  sud- 
denly it  drops  all  severity  in  the  gliding  grace 
of  the  second  melody,  which  is  sung  in  suc- 
cessive and  responsive  snatches  by  the  wood- 
wind and  strings : 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

There  is  certainly  nothing  here  but  careless 
serenity,  whatever  the  title,  the  warning  sound 
of  the  first  melody,  and  other  omens  may 
threaten.  Throughout  there  seems  to  be  a 
tense  balance  or  rivalry  between  solemn  fore- 
boding and  exultant  dance,  predominating  re- 
spectively in  the  two  melodies  in  a  constant 
struggle,  so  uncertain  that  one  is  often  in  a 
curious  mixture  of  terror  and  joy,  save  in  occa- 
sional climaxes  of  clear  triumph  or  in  cadences 
of  idyllic  tranquillity. 

If^e  remember  the  raison  d'etre  of  the  sonata 
form,*  we  must  see  that  the  first  statement  of 
melodies  must  in  itself  give  a  strong  clue  to 
the  whole  symphony.  In  its  clear  enunciation, 
coming  to  a  full  emphatic  close,  followed  by  a 
complete  repetition.  It  must  be  a  prologue,  as  it 
were ;  nay  more,  as  it  contains  the  substance 
of  the  most  important  of  the  four  chapters. 
And  so  in  this  strange  vibrating  between  exu- 
berance and  seriousness,  this  curious  balance 
between  childlike  abandon  and  succeeding  vig- 
orous, even  harsh,  solemnity  and  profundity  is 
,theL-typi£al  feeling  of  the  Heroic  symphony. 

*  See  Chapter  II. 
103 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

After  the  joyous  and  boisterous  appearance 
of  the  two  melodies  enters  the  ominous  mys- 
tery of  modulation,  uncertain  whispering  of 
fragments  of  the  themes,  followed  by  brief 
tranquillity  in  the  second  melody.  Then 
gloomy  minor  mutterings  of  the  first  in  the 
bass,  increasing  and  reiterating  like  some  funda- 
mental fate,  with  fitful,  hysterical  breaking  into 
the  lightness  of  the  second.  But  its  own 
theme  is  bent  to  serve  the  stern  humor  of  the 
whole  ;  and  soon  the  whole  orchestra  is  striking 
united  hammer-blows  in  eccentric  rhythm  with 
overwhelming  power,  until  suddenly  relieved 
by  a  phrase  of  delicate  pathos  in  the  woodwind, 
with  violins  still  sustaining  the  rhythm  : 


Oboes. 


^  [Strings.. 


^ 


Cellos. 


s/    1f> 


la 


w 


f 


Basses. /i2z. 


Back  again  to  the  fateful  legend  in  the  basses, 

reiterated  in  minor,  suddenly  relieved  again,  as 
104 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


before.     But  the  new  phrase  expands  in  clario- 
nets and  fagots 


J=J 


^U 


± 


=»• — #• 


i 


m 


j^ — i 


^ 


• — hii: 


MEE^ 


fc^^^ii 


SS 


^ 


iM=1=^ 


-(=2i- 


5}=3^^ 


1^ 


5^q5=5j2=i^ 


±^z± 


~N 


into  a  new  song,  sung  responsively   between 
flutes  and  vioHns : 


Flutes  and  First  Violins. 


-- — j p"~" — -^         Second  Violins. 


i^^bJ  ~* 


p 


le^ 


±1^ 


•?^r 


3= 


^^m 


-<S>--- 


iw^ 


^ 


SH i^- 


^^SS^ 


^ 


«: 


»o5 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Now  comes  the  real  discussion  of  the  main 
subject,  the  vigorous  strife  in  clear  stretto  of 
woodwind,  with  rhythmic  stress : 


Flutes  and  Oboes. 


Fagots 


too  mazed  for  our  sight,  until  it  is  merely  the 
light  oboe  striking  the  phrase  with  resounding 
echo  of  the  rest : 


Woodwind  doubled  above 
and  below. 


Trembling  of  strings  below. 

Then  more  hammer-blows  on  the  chord,  sud- 
denly quieting  before  the  melody,  entering 
simply  and  cheerfully  as  at  first.  But  here  is  a 
sudden  serene  humor  for  our  moody  subject 
in  jolliest  duet  between  horns  and  basses: 

Horns,  Bassi. 
8va 


-^^±^ 


-^-^- 


dolce. 


g 


pizz. 
1 06 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

with  the  other  strings  humming  away  to  the 
dancing  rhythm ;  the  duet  is  taken  up  by 
flutes  and  vioHns,  then  through  loud  cadence 
into  a  return  to  the  first  part  of  the  movement, 
with  all  its  themes  and  phrases,  principal  and 
secondary,  and  its  changing  moods,  enriched 
with  fuller  treatment. 

Withal  there  is  the  elemental  simplicity  and 
childlike  exuberance  of  Beethoven.  It  is 
wrong  to  think  him  o'ercast  with  intellectual 
motives.  At  once  he  seems  charged  with  pro- 
foundest  emotion  and  lightest  joy.  It  is  the 
balance  of  depth  and  of  humanity  that  makes 
Beethoven  great.  All  doubt  of  the  mood  of 
the  Allegro  is  gone  with  the  audacious  descent 
in  three  succeeding  chords  en  bloc^  defying  the 
laws  of  musical  progression,  and  in  this  defi- 
ance showing  the  intent.*  Though  often  done 
afterwards,  it  never  had  the  same  Promethean 
ring. 

Immediately  thereafter  is  dancing  revel  and 
a  serious  joy,  though  with  greatest  lightness. 
The  whole  understanding  of  the  Third  Sym- 

*  Yet  the  musician  feels  how  the  spirit  of  his  law  is 
not  disturbed. 

107 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

phony  depends  upon  distinguishing  profound 
joy,  even  with  wild  revel,  from  a  careless,  irre- 
sponsible abandon, — the  joy  of  the  Hero  in  an 
universal  cause,  who,  in  his  revel,  feels  a  clear 
right  to  his  exultation. 

The  intensity  of  Beethoven's  feeling  in  his 
conception  of  Napoleon's  ideals  may  be  meas- 
ured by  the  reaction,  when  he  tore  up  the  title- 
page  on  hearing  of  the  emperor's  coronation. 

In  the  second  movement,  the  Funeral  March, 
he  would  go  far  astray  who  would  listen  merely 
for  the  main  melody.  It  is  a  fine  illustration 
of  the  relative  unimportance  in  high  art  of  the 
melody  in  itself  Throughout  we  are  disap- 
pointed, if  we  tie  our  interest  to  mere  melodic 
beauty  here  and  there.  The  greatness  lies  some- 
how in  the  exalted  tone,  in  the  symbolic  depth 
and  unity  to  which  the  melodic  details  are 
quite  subordinate,  although  they  are  of  course 
the  integral  elements  of  the  whole.  So  it  is 
truly  a  symphonic  work. 

The  initial  melody,  all  in  the  strings,  is  evi- 
dently designed  less  for  its  individual,  indepen- 
dent effect  than  for  its  fitness  with  the  whole 
plan. 

io8 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Marcia  Funebre.  Adagio  assai. 
t         Strings. 


f? 


-4: 


^ 


PP 


m 


±:2: 


fc4: 


^ 


-^^- 


-4-S- 


=n=^ 


^^ 


S^ 


m 


-:i.' 


a± 


!fe 


i^i 


i^ 


^f*e 


r 


After  it  is  rehearsed  by  the  whole  chorus, 
comes  the  first  of  those  smoothly  gliding, 
soothing  episodes,  which  are  almost  more  beau- 
tiful than  the  subject  itself,  in  the  phrase 


^: 


U=fia 


9 


r 


109 


2?r 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

after  a  climax,  descending  by  another  gentle 
motive,  sung  responsively  by  strings : 


breaking  into  the  funeral  march  proper,  as  at 
first ;  but  while  the  drum-beats  go  on,  the 
gliding  phrases  are  mainly  sung,  soothing  the 
sorrow  of  the  stiffly  solemn  subject.  After  an- 
other climax  of  the  latter  is  a  striking  con- 
trast :  of  quietest  even  gliding  of  strings,  fol- 
lowed by  sharpest  clang  of  the  wind  and  dull 
beating  of  drums. 

The  first  part,  in  minor,  of  course  closes  dis- 
tinctly. The  Maggiore^  in  C  major,  is  at  first 
mysterious.  What  is  this  serene  moving  of 
oboe  in  one  phrase,  succeeded  by  the  fiute, 
with  violas  and  celbs  in  another,  of  evenest 
rhythm,  while  the  violins  are  humming  in 
simplest  strumming  of  pastoral  placidity  ?     It 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Cellos  and  Violas. 


Flute. 


i 


i 


i^i^zp^i 


WKA  octave  below. 


would  be  cheerful,  but  for  the  complexity  of 
the  polyphony.  Before  eight  bars  comes  an 
overpowering  crash  of  whole  orchestra,  fol- 
lowed again  by  the  former  quiet,  self-contained 
singing  of  joint  voices,  now  serenely  continu- 
ing, with  no  funereal  strain  save  the  beating 
of  drums,  with  very  gradual  climax  into  the 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

former  crash.  But  with  all  the  awfulness,  the 
startling  terror  has  been  avoided. 

It  is  surely  clear.  We  are  lifted  away  from 
the  objective  grief  of  mourning  into  the  empy- 
rean of  a  subjective  exaltation  of  the  Hero. 
After  all,  the  mourning  is  not  for  him  ;  for  him 
there  is  naught  but  serenity  and  triumph. 

Back  to  the  thud  of  drums  and  the  awe  of 
the  original  minor.  But  only  for  a  strain.  Here 
is  the  profoundest  of  all,  whether  technically 
or  in  its  general  meaning.  Fagot  and  violin 
strike  out  in  noisy,  dogmatic  counterpoint  on 
dimly  familiar  themes,  of  which  the  most  im- 
portant must  be  the  sombre  guise  (in  minor) 
of  one  of  the  former  quietly  gliding  phrases : 


^IS=^ 


Fagot  and  Viola. 


sf 


^. 


tr 


g 


y? 


m 


In  succession,  all  the  voices  strike  into  the 
fateful  chant.  When  the  basses  have  it,  we 
are  overwhelmed  as  in   a   cathedral  with  the 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

convincing  mass  of  its  awing  architecture.  In 
its  closing  climax  the  now  hurried  phrase  is 
nothing  but  the  old  theme  doubled  in  time. 
It  is  all  surely  a  mingling  of  the  feehng  of 
Religion,  of  the  deep  enigma,  in  all  this  com- 
plexity ;  of  life  and  death,  and  life  thereafter. 
But  the  lull  and  return  to  the  Funeral  March 
is  but  for  a  moment.  After  a  wail  of  violins 
in  the  main  melody,  brass  and  strings  strike 
crashing  into  a  strange  chord.  Again  enters 
in  the  bass  a  reminder  of  the  dogmatic  theme 
carried  on  and  on,  until  suddenly  we  hear  in  its 
very  climax  the  original  funeral  melody  march- 
ing in  the  woodwind,  quite  as  if  a  secondary 
after-thought,  all  in  complete  song.  The  rest 
is  as  at  first,  but  enriched  and  extended,  with 
former  separate  themes  now  united  in  common 
psean,  with  bolder  acclaim  of  rhythmic  strings. 
Where  the  end  might  be  there  is  a  sudden  lull. 
In  quietest  song  is  a  new  melody  with  new 
swing.  In  its  novelty,  its  strange  simplicity,  it 
suggests  a  feeling  of  transfiguration  or  apothe- 
osis of  the  Hero. 

The  ending  is  solemn  and  subdued,  save  a 
single  triumphant  burst  at  the  last.  There  is  a 
curious  touch  in  the  final  singing  of  the  melody, 

8  "3 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

with  its  original  rhythm  all  distorted.  It  gives 
a  strange  effect  of  reality,  as  if  the  essence  of 
the  poetry,  spoken  without  the  flesh. 

In  the  Scherzo,  Allegro  Vivace^  we  must  not 
pretend  to  find  anything  but  boisterous  aban- 
don. There  is  no  note  of  the  sombre,  of  the 
sinister,  save  possibly  a  suggestion  of  terror  in 
the  very  Vehemence  of  the  mad  delight. 

The  beginning  seems  all  mere  rhythmic 
preparation  in  the  staccato  strings  until  first 
violins  and  oboe  break  into  the  melody : 


Allegro  vivace. 
Strings,  with  oboe,  an  octave  above. 


114 


SYxMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


The  low  strumming  of  the  first  bass  is  surely 
mere  foil  to  the  bright  humor  of  the  main  theme. 
The  fine  haste  of  the  incessant  tripping,  a  sort 
o{ perpetuum  mobile^  is  enhanced  when  the  voices 
leap  one  over  the  other  in  canon  form : 


Violins. 


J.. 


'Jf- 


'HF- 


VlOLAS. 


J 


■^Aa 


J^i 


^-4. 


:=t: 


Cellos. 


overturning  melodies  head  over  heels,  losing 
accent  in  their  mad  haste.  And,  later,  a  still 
more  splendid  stretto,  in  whole  orchestra,  be- 
tween the  measures  of  trebles  and  of  basses : 


Full  Orchestra. 


^  i  i  i  i  i  i  531 


Basses  an  octave  below. 


"5 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


higher  and  higher  in  the  chasing  game,  until 
they  all  fall  together  in  headlong  rhythm : 


.1 


i 


==1: 


w^^^^ 


:^: 


ff  in  unison  and  octaves. 


r   f-f 

tr        I 


On  their  feet  again  and  off  tripping  as  before. 
No  depth  or  complexity,  save  quite  incident- 
ally where  the  simultaneous  phrases  of  first 
and  second  violins  were  reversed,  the  lower 
above  the  higher, — a  master-stroke  (what  the 
scholars  call  double  counterpoint),  all  quickly 
in  passing. 

The  TRIO  accents  the  deeper  humor  in  a 
horn  melody  that  savors  unmistakably  of  the 
chase. 

But  its  sustained  tones  only  imply  the  pre* 

Ii6 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Trio.  Horns. 


'Q 


i 


1 

-Kir 


>, 


i 


^ 


^ 


f 


vious  rhythm,  and  soon  run  into  its  wild  gait ; 

back  again  into  the  sonorous  horn  theme, — 

finally  occasional    lapses,  as   if  sighing  for  a 

moment's  thought  before  the  Scherzo,  which 

rushes  past  with  the  same  melodies  in  close 

texture    extended    in    a    coda,   where   we   are 

hovering  uncertain  between  humor  and  serious 

triumph. 

There  can  be  no  question  about  the  mood 

of  the  Finale,  Allegro   molto.     We  need  not 

speculate  nor  philosophize  deeply,  yet  there  is 

a  rare  chance  for  a  mistake. 
117 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

There  is  no  doubt  about  the  unreined 
joyous  elation  of  the  whole.  And  yet  it  is 
most  natural  at  first  hearing  to  find  nothing 
profounder  than  lightest  romp  and  revel.  But 
there  is  no  music  where  there  is  closer  relation 
between  the  notes  and  the  sense,  this  higher 
content.  Therefore,  with  no  more  ado  to 
the  reading.  The  opening  bars  are  of  course 
a  mere  fanfare  of  strings  in  preparatory  (dom- 
inant) chord  for  the  melody  (in  the  tonic). 
What  a  strange  theme  I  All  in  pizzicato^ 
unison  strings : 


Strings  doubled  in  two  lower  octaves. 

IV- 


=#?k^V#— f-^-^-  =?=^-^' 


? 


-=1_^ 


^= 


^-*- 


p 


pizz. 


-^-=^ 


r 


b 


almost  a  jest  in  its  simplicity,  and  repeated  in 
eccentric  echoing  of  woodwind,  and  ended  with 
comic,  loud  striking  of  common  note,  and 
lightly  tripping  off  with  the  same  stealthy 
pace. 

ii8 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Next  the  melody  is  sounded  by  one  set  of 
strings  in  sustained  half-notes,  instead  of  timid 
staccato,  while  the  others  dance  about  with 
snatches  and  phrases  which  seem  to  fit  as  well 
above  the  melody  as  below.  We  now  see  the 
deeper  design  which  gradually  breaks  on  us, 
that  lends  a  profounder  dignity, — a  feeling 
of  completeness,  of  universality.  And  yet  the 
design  is  not  conscious,  but  that  curious  star- 
guided  intention  of  the  master.  And  the  un- 
consciousness but  gives  it  the  greater  dignity 
and  meaning. 

What  seemed  the  main  melody  is  now 
relegated  to  insignificant  basses,  and  a  new 
chrysalis  of  tune  gently  dances  aloft  in  wood- 
wind, reckless  of  its  dethroned  predecessor 
under  its  feet : 


Woodwind  (with  a  running  figure  in  violins). 


^, 


fj~:>L-^^-^'^-i'-44^^ 


s 


P  dolce. 


*1  >-»- 


m 


-=^-^PL^- 


^ 


ttP" 


Strings. 


&fc=5 


fizz. 


119 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


t^k^MMM 


^- 


'^ 


W^ 


^ 


«/ 


m 


Lil 


^ 


decresc. 


S 


f> 


^ 


^^ 


m 


There  is  no  mere  reminiscent  pretence,  but 
the  whole  melody  with  the  second  above,  the 
answer,  even,  with  the  heavy  chords,  and  the 
final  phrase 


J^ 


■^ 


^^A-_L.i^.X-I^^ 


€=?=^= 


"^•^ 


f 


P 


ii= 


pizz. 


*1-#-» 


^ 


t 


— i-' 


^^'-^ 


-V-=V-5^- 


all  in  heaven-made  union.  But  now  the  origi- 
nal theme  is  restored  to  dignity  as  sonorous 
subject  of  serious  fugue,  with  the  surrounding 
phrases  which  give  life  to  the  rhythm : 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Violins. 


through  the  four  strings  down  to  the  funda- 
mental bassi,  with  attempts  of  woodwind  to 
have  their  say. 

It  is  clear  that  the  theme  has  that  peculiar 
quality  of  basic  motto  which  we  saw  in  the 
Finale  of  the  Jupiter,  and  which  we  shall  see 
further  in  Beethoven's  symphonies.  In  it 
the  masters  expressed  the  sense  of  profound 
groping  for  fundamental  truth  which  is  strong 
in  their  compatriot  and  contemporary  poets, 
which  gave  that  peculiar  charm  and  strength 
of  blended  philosophy  and  fancy  to  the  works 
of  Goethe. 

The  plot  thickens  as  the  theme  enters  dimin- 
ished in  tempo  and  in  close  stretto, — still  further 
diminished,  and  we  wonder  what  comes  next 
in  the  maze,  when  suddenly  out  of  the  sombre 
dogmatic  learning  dances  forth,  like  fairy  queen, 
with  quick  surprise  of  modulation,  the  second 
melody  in  a  minor  key,  where  it  loses  none  of 
its  lightness,  gaining  a  novel  charm  of  mystery  : 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Strings. 


J^M 


f 


rehearsed  with  daintily  comic  change  of  rhythm 
in  woodwind : 

Flutes. 

8va 


m^ 


:i?=f=f=i: 


:p^=p=g=^ 


After  some  clownish  horseplay  in  the  strings, 
applauded  by  the  rest,  all  join  in  a  big,  ponder- 
ous cosmic  dance: 

Flutes,  Oboes,  Fagots,  Violins. 


^3^^ 


^. 


In  octaves,  above  and  below, 
sempre  f 


tt=£: 


S 


T" 


£: 


^- 


3= 


sempre  f    Basses  in  octaves. 


r 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


cosmic  because  of  its  primeval  simplicity,  and 
because  we  hear  the  same  fundamental  motto 
in  the  basses. 

It  has  somehow  the  spirit  and  ring  of  uni- 
versality of  Schiller's  Ode  to  Joy,  proven  in  its 
simple  completeness.  The  new  dance  extends 
its  melody,  with  the  motto  both  above  and  be- 
low, coming  to  what  seems  a  complete  close  of 
full  orchestra.  But  suddenly  off  again  into  un- 
expected regions  of  tone  on  the  wings  of  the 
second  melody,  then  into  the  mysterious  phases 
of  the  minor,  the  motto  always  present  above 
or  below.  Once  more  we  are  in  the  fugue,  in 
the  dogmatic  humor ;  but  now  it  builds  more 
broadly  and  fully  in  a  joyous  climax,  which  sud- 
denly drops  into  a  religious  chant  of  the  wood- 
wind in  the  scarce  recognizable  second  melody  : 


Oboe,  Clarionets. 

Poco  andante.  1^^^ 


P  con  espressione. 


m 


it 


UrMr^^^m^ 


^^ 


^ 


Fagots. 


123 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

in  sustained,  solemn  organ  tones,  softened  in 
spirit,  echoed  by  the  strings.  The  answer  in 
second  part  is  in  more  graceful  lyric  feeling. 
Suddenly  into  vehement  clanging  of  tutti,  with 
the  same  melody  in  basses ;  here  again  a  lull  in 
volume  and  rhythm,  only  to  end  through  the 
original  fanfare^  in  furious  galloping  of  the 
theme,  ift  various  rhythmic  guises,  in  loudest, 
most  emphatic  close. 


124 


VI 

BEETHOVEN  (Continued) 

The  Seventh  Symphony. 

In  spite  of  the  remark  in  the  last  chapter  on 
the  new  quality  of  Beethoven,  in  advance  of 
Haydn  and  Mozart,  of  the  element  of  a  mean- 
ing, it  is  very  necessary  to  mark  the  purely 
sentient,  naive,  non-intellectual  (I  should  rather 
not  say  emotional)  character  of  Beethoven. 
And  this  is  best  seen  in  the  seventh  symphony, 
especially  as  against  the  third,  the  fifth,  the 
sixth,  and  the  ninth.  On  the  whole,  the  un- 
titled symphonies  are  much  to  be  preferred. 

We  must  be  careful  to  reject  absolutely  any 

theory  of  story  or  description,  except  where 

the  master  himself  gives  it.     And  there,  as  in 

the  sixth,  it  is  not  a  success, — the  highest  proof 

of  the   superiority  of  absolute    music.      The 

test,  after  all,  is  the  purely  musical  impression, 

but  not  in  an  unthinking  attitude.    Beethoven's 

greatness  (and  that  of  Brahms,  too)  is  shown 

by  his  refusal  to  be  categoried,  to  have  his  emo- 
125 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

tion  narrowed  and  whittled  down  to  answer  a 
picture  or  story.  In  a  very  large  degree,  pro- 
gramme music  is,  after  all,  a  pretty,  intellec- 
tual game,  a  subtle  flattery,  a  mental  feat,  a 
guess  at  conundrums.  Generally,  there  is  a 
real  loss  in  the  apparent  gain.  If  the  emo- 
tional is  the  true  attitude,  it  can  be  seen  how 
the  titled,  by  absorbing  attention,  prevents  a 
pure  enjoyment  and  the  test  by  natural  per- 
ception. Creating  a  false  interest,  the  label 
withdraws  the  normal,  unbiassed  attention  from 
the  music  itself,  preconceiving  the  mind  to  an  a 
priori^  arbitrary  connection  or  significance.  In 
one  way,  entitled  music  is  like  the  clever  juggler 
who  tricks  by  diverting  attention  from  the  real 
to  a  pretended  act ;  in  another,  it  is  like  the 
poor  painter  who  holds  the  witless  mind  by 
the  strength,  not  of  his  art,  but  of  the  printed 
label. 

Schumann's  view  of  programme  music  was 
the  true  one, — the  title  distinctly  and  literally 
an  after-thought.  If  the  impelling  feeling  must 
be  unconscious,  the  poet  cannot  know,  until  he 
has  finished,  the  word  that  explains  his  mood. 
This  is  the  true  view  of  the  ninth  symphony, — 

a  spontaneous  burst  into  song,  not  beautifully 
126 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

preconceived  and  prearranged,  as  of  voices  that 
could  no  longer  contain  the  feeling  stirred  by 
the  earlier  music. 

Implication  of  meaning  came  largely  from 
ultra-radicals  like  Berlioz,  who  wanted,  mis- 
takenly, to  raise  the  dignity  of  music  by  im- 
puting to  it  a  power  which  it  could  not,  in 
the  nature  of  things,  possess.  Their  artistic 
sense  was  blurred  by  the  philosophical.  They 
confused  the  true  limits  of  music  and  prose. 
Hence  their  incomplete  work  (as  in  all  opera), 
seeking  to  eke  out  their  music  with  a  "  mean- 
ing." Our  genuine  gain  in  joyousness  from  an 
untitled  work  of  pure  music  is  much  greater 
than  the  temporary  flattery  of  seeing,  or  seem- 
ing to  see,  a  subtle  significance. 

For  this  reason,  it  seems  well  for  this  once 

to   choose  a  work    absolutely  free    from    the 

taint  of  attempted  translation ;  deliberately  to 

avoid  pictured  or  storied  explanations ;  simply 

to  get  the  true  musical  impression,  not  without 

keen  study,  at  once  as  a  rare  example  and  an 

illustration  of  the  real  attitude  of  the  listener. 

Or,  if  we  hear  of  explanations,  let  us  take  them 

only  to  reject,  with  presumption  against  all  ; 

for,  at  most,  but  one  of  them  can  be  true. 
127 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Such  an  ideal  symphony  is  the  seventh.  It 
is  impossible  to  escape  the  din  of  the  critics 
who  shout  their  labels  at  us, — their  "  Rustic 
Wedding,"  "  Moorish  Knighthood,"  "  Masked 
Ball,"  " Pastoral  Scenes."*  But  men  will  for- 
get that  the  more  a  work  refuses  definition,  the 
greater  it  is.  In  proportion  as  the  interpreta- 
tion is  general,  it  is  apt  to  be  true.  It  is  all 
part  of  our  human  impulse  to  limit,  to  circum- 
scribe everything  and  everybody  but  ourselves, 
in  order  to  make  clear  and  easy  to  understand.f 
We  are  in  too  great  haste  to  solve  all  puzzles 
by  force,  to  cut  the  Gordian  knot.  One  more 
observation  on  these  critics :  How  each  one 
understands  or  receives  exactly  according  to 
his  capacity,  just  like  so  many  vessels  of  vary- 
ing size,  is  nowhere  so  clearly  shown  as  in 
symphonic  commentaries.  And  this  is  a  great 
truth,  and  the  best  view  of  criticism.  Thus 
each  has  a  right,  without  pretence  of  judicial 

*  If  I  had  to  join  in  the  chorus,  I  should  call  it  "  The 
Earthly  Symphony," — Goethe's 

"  Wirklich  ist  es  wunderschcin 
Auf  der  lieben  Erde." 

f  Also,  I  fear,  from  a  less  worthy  motive  of  deprecia- 
tion. 

128 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

authority,  to  tell  the  other  how  he  feels  about 
it ;  and  each  one  is  giving  something  of  himself. 

One  common  quality  has  been  read  in  the 
seventh  symphony  by  so  many  commentators, 
that  the  latest  critic  must  naturally  emphasize 
an  opposite  element  which  seems  to  him  to  have 
been  overlooked.  All  agree  in  the  bewitching 
rhythmic  spell  that  shines  through  every  bar  of 
the  symphony.  But  where  we  must  differ  with 
many  interpreters  is  in  the  degree  of  lightness 
(or  of  seriousness)  which  they  find.  It  seems 
as  if  many  view  merely  the  fact  of  the  dance- 
rhythm,  and  of  the  simple  melodies,  without 
feeling  the  bigness,  the  fundamental  depth  of 
the  orchestral  treatment.  But,  avoiding  the 
danger  from  preconceived  theory,  let  us  listen  : 

The  beginning  is  serious,  the  slow  Sostenuto 
of  Haydn, — of  Brahms,  too.  But  Beethoven 
could  not,  with  the  light  intent  of  an  Offen- 
bach, sound  a  solemn  prelude,  only  to  dance 
away  into  frivolity  for  the  rest  of  the  evening. 
Therefore  this  beginning  is  significant.  Then, 
a  symphony  must  begin  simply,  alone  to  show 
its  scope. 

9  "9 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Out  of  heavy  bursts  of  chords  floats  a  quiet, 
legend-like  theme,  in  primal  intervals  (some- 
what as  in  the  Eroica),  in  succeeding  strains  of 
the  woodwind : 


Oboe. 


1=^:4 


LilEdM 


tr 


7p 


?^3Ei= 


f 


^-J- 


^^ 


Clarionets 
fp 


-^ 


-^--- 


r 


/^j^i 


r 


In  both  is  that  German,  profound  philosoph- 
ical impulse  to  find  the  mystic  formula,  the 
pervading  cosmic  principle,  as  in  the  second 
part  of  Faust ;  the  feeling,  too,  of  Mozart's 
favorite  motto,*  in  the  Jupiter  symphony  and 
elsewhere.  The  literal  musician,  the  "  Fach- 
mann,"  will  say  that  these  themes  are  chosen 
for  their  capacity  for  development.  But  this 
is  exactly  the  wrong  idea.  He  fails  to  see 
below  the  black  notes  on  the  surface.  He 
treats  music  as  a  branch  of  mathematics,  for- 


*  See  Chapter  IV. 
130 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


getting  entirely  our  definition  of  the  Uncon- 
scious Aritiimetician. 

After  a  few  bars  of  solemn  chanting  of  the 
legend,  there  is  a  gentle  stir  of  motion  in  the 
strings,  which  gradually  infects  the  rest.  With 
the  quiet  theme  still  pervading,  the  whole  slowly 
gathers  movement, — this  is  the  clearest  impres- 
sion ;  still,  the  motto  constantly  completing  and 
rounding  out.  As  it  grows  to  overpowering  di- 
mensions, there  suddenly  breaks  through  a  mel- 
ody, not  of  dance,  but  of  the  most  tensely  pent 
desire  for  rhythm,  in  harmony  of  woodwind  : 


Oboes,  Clarionets. 

aj — J — i^4D 


m- 


f^i7-nt 


rr    u 

p  dolce.  Woodwind. 


&Hg 


^ 


£:ib=^ 


£ 


^ 


L  >-w>- 


m 


-Fs=^- 


^- 


a  call  for  the  dance,  oft  repeated,  high  in  the 
woodwind  and  low  in  the  strings  (interrupted 
by  the  earlier  phase).  Then  there  is  a  gradual 
joining  of  hands,  getting  ready.  Some  begin ; 
all  are  still  moving  imperfectly.  Soon  the 
131 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


whole  movement  grows  strong  and  united  into 
a  Vivace  dance,  led  by  the  woodwind : 

Flutes,  Oboes,  Clarionets. 

-J-'-3-  -«-  -0r'^  -J-       :!?:'5"  ■•^  -J-'-3l-*-«l- 


^ 


Vivace. 


f4. 


itintzMzitzizit 


:S 


£zitiitzti3tr]t: 


Setnptv  piano. 


Fagots,  Horns. 


IT7ITZ. 


mM 


^=gj 


^ll: 


^^gg    ^-a  J^^i^ 


^^^- 


— ii-  -^4r 


::^ 


-□IT 


-tS2- 


F-^- 


'-#-#- 
■-^ 


ii 


-^ 


-■e 


#: 


S- 


-r 


=■^^ 


Si*: 


i 


C^fcl: 


=^-^ 


S^^SS 


-fn- 


zr- 


3=«=^ 


4  itTT: 


4 


m 


^=i 


m 


|2- 


132 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


The  strings  at  first  merely  strum  lightly  in 
time.  But  soon  they  take  a  higher  part,  in 
echoing  response : 


Woodwind  in  octaves. 


m^ 


^ 


:^eS 


S 


f 


42- 


4:v 


^ 


■^=He-r- 


f- 


s^ 


Strings  in  double  octaves  below. 

As  the  bass  strings  thus  dance  the  time  in 
counter-movement,  the  whole  is  too  ponderous 
for  frivolity ;  it  becomes  deep.  This  must  be 
seen  throughout.  If  the  basses  gave  a  mere 
rhythmic  step,  it  would  be  otherwise.  Their 
active  vocal  part  gives  a  cosmic  color  to  the 
whole.  The  dancing  melody  is  so  continuous 
that  it  seems  impossible  as  well  as  needless  to 
distinguish  first  and  second  themes.  It  is  all 
so  clear.  Like  a  great  round  dance,  they  stop, 
and,  gathering  with  a  run,  begin  again  the  more 
furiously,  now  holding  with  a  long  step  to  return 
to  the  rhythm,  suddenly  in  quietest,  daintiest 
skipping,  still  softer,  then  in  bold,  loud  chorus, 
133 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

always  this  united  feeling  of  a  mass  in  unison, 
not  of  a  small  group, — a  dancing  song  with 
changing  phases  ;  sometimes  the  song  is  every- 
thing, then  it  is  a  mere  dance  again. 

We  must  remember,  here  as  ever,  this  dance 
is  merely  symbolic.  We  must  not  try  to  find 
a  picture  of  it,  nor  to  see  it  everywhere.  It  is 
only  a  figure,  a  passing  image  of  a  much 
greater  idea  or  feeling.  The  joint  dance  of  all 
is  the  common  uniting  of  mankind  in  joy,  as 
was  proclaimed  in  those  days  by  poets  in  verse 
and  tone,  and  might  well  be  proclaimed  now 
anew.  In  another  view,  it  shows  how  Bee- 
thoven combined  purest  exuberance  with  pro- 
foundest  sympathy. 

And,  after  the  repeated  statement,  the  period 
of  discussion  (to  avoid  the  hated  "  develop- 
ment") shows  the  symbolic  quality  most 
strongly.  For  here,  in  the  much  weakened, 
almost  halting  rhythm,  is  the  separate  indi- 
vidual wandering  off,  clearest  in  the  contra- 
puntal process.  The  hue  of  metaphysics  is  on. 
Up  and  down,  one  against  the  other,  in  the 
gray,  colorless  straying  of  independent  indi- 
viduals, the  common  bond  is  relaxed  and  for- 
gotten, only  to  join  once  again,  with  gradual 
134 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

uniting,  in  the  universal  rhythm.  If  the  dance 
is  symbolic,  the  wandering  is  separate  thought 
and  action,  independent,  though  not  without 
interdependence.  But  ever  again,  after  the  ten- 
dency to  stray  apart  in  disunion  and  discord, 
comes  the  magnificent  joining  in  the  common 
movement  and  song. 

Allegretto  is  the  nearest  approach  Beethoven 
can  make  to  the  mood  of  pathos  in  this  poem 
of  Earth  and  Humanity.  In  this  balance  of 
rhythm  with  solemnity  is,  to  us,  one  of  the 
highest  of  all  inspirations.  It  is  in  a  vein  rare  to 
Beethoven,  wherein  we  see  much  kinship  with 
Schubert.  The  spirit  of  this  Allegretto  must  have 
stirred  in  the  younger  master  when  he  thought 
his  famous  melody  of  the  song,  "  Death  and 
the  Maiden."  We  cannot  escape,  again,  the 
mystic  German  groping  for  fundamental  truth 
in  a  single  motto ;  as,  first,  the  essential  har- 
monic and  rhythmic  plan  is  simply  stated  in 
lower  strings,  with  sombre,  broken  sounds : 

Viola,  Celli,  Bassi. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

■  hi 


and  then  the  melodic  song  surges  above  in 


^ 


@^^^^ 


clear,  sustained  tones,  while  the  former  fateful 

dirge  continues  its  solemn,  unaltered  march. 

The  second  melody,  in  major,  abandons  the 

solemn  vein,  in  a  strain  of  purest  lyric  feeling, 

human    and    mortal,    not    of    eternal    truth. 

Strangely,    it    reminds    us    of    quite    another 

vein  of  Schubert,  frequent  in  his  impromptus. 

But   there    is   no   complete    escape   from    the 

old    rhythmic    beat  which   keeps  dinning  on 

in  the  bass  against  the  swinging  melody  of 

violins : 

136 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


^ 


/?  Strings. 


^^ 


y^ 


• — #- 


pizz 


f-J — ^]l  1- 


f 


-N, 


The  lyric  love-song  is  over,  and  now  we  are 
alone  with  the  mournful  hymn,  but  this  is  sung 
with  greater  freedom  and  lightness.  Suddenly 
the  strings  alone  strike  into  a  monkish  fugue 
on  the  original  theme  in  thin,  ominous  tones, 
with  unceasing  course  of  the  monotonous, 
rhythmless  countertheme,  all  in  pio\is  submis- 
sion to  fate.  But  now  fugal  and  counter- 
theme  both  are  rung  with  overwhelming  power 
by  the  whole  orchestra.  Once  more  the  strain 
of  human  longing  is  heard.  Then  comes  the 
end  in  the  same  dull,  broken,  fateful  sounds, 
137 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

with  a  strange  wail   in   the   violins  with  the 
closing  chord,  as  of  a  dying  soul. 

Scherzo.  Presto. 
Now  for  the  dance  in  earnest.  It  is  the 
natural  climax  for  such  a  symphony,  this  third 
phase ;  the  very  acme  and  essence  of  rhythm. 
All  the  pent-up  motion  is  let  loose,  yet  not  in 
wild  disorder,  but  all  in  unconscious  though 
perfect  obedience  to  a  subtle  swing.  As  else- 
where, the  highest  sum  or  quantity  of  motion 
is  only  possible  with  regularity  and  harmony 
simultaneously  and  successively,  as  of  horses 
drawing  a  chariot.  They  must  all  race  in 
one  united  agreement  of  a  common  speed,  for 
real  achievement  of  motion.  And  never  was 
Offenbach  or  Strauss  half  so  light  as  this  pro- 
foundly serious  master  of  ours. 

Presto. 
Tutti.    Woodwind  in  octave  below. 


Basses  strumming  below. 
138 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


m 


1 — I  ■    r 


t:=t 


EITTT 


3s; 


i; 


EE 


eI 


R^^"^ 


J — ^ 


J 


-5^ 


:£ 


=P: 


^-$:~t- 


r — r 


r- 


And  were  long-sustained  notes  ever  so  in 
viting  to  the  dance,  so  subtly  alive  with  motion 

Strings.  ,  i 


i^^i^i^^rt 


or  in  the  oft-.repeated  humming  in  flute  and 
clarionets,  like  hovering  insects : 


:ife^ 


.^1 


f^i3b:§fe^ 


1^  1  I     I 


-il^ 


139 


igpjlfeg 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


But  much  greater  is  this  subtle  implication 
of  motion  in  the  Trio,  where  with  violins  sus- 
taining a  long  A  in  octaves,  the  droning  horns, 
fagots,  and  clarionets  are  singing,  in  diminished 
speed,  a  new  theme : 


Assai  meno  presto. 


4 


i=^ 


i 


^ 


3^ 


-^^^4 


-2^-Z^ 


P   dolce. 
^2 


:3- 


-j:~ 


i*ft 


^- 


-t=^-- 


-^^=^ 


:f=?=f: 


I    y  y 


+— r-^ 


It  is  a  typical  union  of  highest  feeling  and 
art.  With  violins  sustained  on  a  high  tone, 
giving  merely  a  rare  quiver,  it  is  like  the  con- 
stant buzzing  of  forest  bees,  but  so  subtle  that 
it  is  for  ruder  ears  really  a  rest  with  highest 
motion,  much  as  the  humming-bird,  with  wings 
vibrating  in  invisible  motion,  seems  to  rest  on 
hidden  threads,  or  like  the  pulse  of  sound 
itself,  which  is  so  rapid  that  it  becomes  one 
sustained  tone.  But  this  is  only  around  and 
about.     Through  the  midst  comes  the  quiet, 

intimate   song   of   the    woodwind ;    emerging 
140 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

from  nature  sounds,  it  speaks  human  senti- 
ment. There  is  no  mistaking  this  in  the  quiet, 
definite  notes  of  the  song.  It  is  too  artic- 
ulate in  its  contrast  with  the  vaguely  quivering, 
buzzing  wood-notes.  And  later  the  song  is 
ever  more  human,  almost  pleading,  save  for  its 
quiet,  constant  rhythm : 

Woodwind. 


Doubled  above  and  below. 
f)  dolce. 


n+t 

^ 

^ 

iVt.u 

w^ 

" 

Vv  ft--  ■       - 

^^        1                       M 

- 

1 — 

- — 1 



^*- 

*-^ 

ik\ — ^~— 

•i  J,  H- j( — 

— i 

— i 

- 

~v 

-  , 

■^ 

— --     --    1 

fj 

tv  • 

**i* 

e^ 

• 

■« 

The  horns  begin  a  gradual  stir  of  rhythm ; 
more  and  more  enter,  until  all  the  world,  man 
and  nature,  with  overwhelming  power,  have 
joined  in  our  sweetly  solemn  song. 

It  is  really,  all  this  Trio,  a  sort  of  idyllic 
rest  in  the  woods,  from  which  we  are  whirled 
by  a  sudden  shock  back  to  the  impersonal 
frolic  of  the  original  scherzo,  with  all  its  romp- 
ing joy,  in  full  career  to  the  end,  not  without 

several   returns  to  the   musing  revery  of  the 
141 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

song  of  the  Trio.  And  withal  there  is  never 
a  break  in  the  relentless,  resistless  motion, 
intensely  rhythmic  in  all  its  disguise. 

The  Finale  is  a  big,  almost  a  serious  aban- 
don. With  the  infectious,  resistless  dance  is  a 
certain  ponderousness, — above  all,  a  simplicity 
which  betrays  its  universality.  It  is  greater 
than  national,  though  there  is  the  suggestion  of 
national  song.  The  primitive  simplicity  is 
shown  in  the  absence  of  defined  melody,  of 
varied  tonality,  of  contrast  of  rhythm.  It  is 
hard  to  find  any  official  themes  in  the  whole 
melodious  tissue,  and  the  complementary 
chords,  of  tonic  and  dominant,  are  rung  with 
almost  barbarous  plainness.  Magnetic  as  is  the 
dance,  it  is  in  the  simplest  conceivable  rhythm  : 


t^T  r  ^u-t^fcg-- 


There  are  no  contrasts,  save  in  the  sudden 
light  tripping  after  the  ponderous  clog  of  the 
whole  orchestra. 

If  any  theme  can  be  called  the  subject,  it 
142 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

is  in  the  pervading  figure  (first  in  the  vioHns), 
after  rhythmic  chords : 


^ 


Allegro  con  brio. 


(  With  harmony  in  the  strings.) 
Flutes  and  Oboes. 


Clarionets,  Fagots. 

where  all  the  woodwind  comes  dancing  in  on 
ponderous,  eccentric  skip  at  the  end  of  the 
bar.  It  is  in  the  very  lack  of  pretence,  of 
conscious  beauty  of  outline,  or  of  significance 
in  the  melodies,  that  consists  the  feeling  of 
romp.  And  yet  we  must  always  come  back 
to  that  quality  of  joy  which  we  saw  in  the  first 
movement,  which  seems  special  to  our  master, 
as  it  is  to  the  highest  poetic  feeling :  of  pro- 
fundity. Nothing  could  be  more  reckless, 
irresponsible  in  its  abandon,  than  this  rollick- 
ing Finale ;  but  no  one  can  think  of  it  as 
143 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


frivolous,  can  escape  its  stamp  of  universality 
and  eternity. 

On  it  goes,  after  first  repeating  of  melody, 
followed  by  mere  running  up  and  down  of  all 
the  wind,  with  strings  beating  the  time.  They 
change  about.  Then  a  bandying  of  the  origi- 
nal phrase  in  the  strings : 

Strings. 


ziMz 


^=^ 


r 


^ 


n 


f 


r 


with  a  mere  suspicion  of  logic,  of  discussion, 
followed  immediately  by  the  simplest,  most 
childlike  dancing  up  and  down  in  the  primi- 
tive rhythm  (cited  above),  as  if  to  reject  the 
144 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

very  suggestion  of  conscious  thought,  all  to- 
gether, hand  in  hand,  in  unison  step,  until  the 
first  contrast,  to  which  we  alluded  above. 

As  all  stop  on  a  sudden  chord,  the  violins 
trip  lightly  along,  to  the  strumming  of  strings 
alone,  with  sudden  shock  of  interrupting  chorus, 
like  clownish  attempts  at  frightening : 


The  finest  romping  on,  all  stamping  heavily 
together,  with  eccentric  thud,  followed  by 
lightest  tripping  chase  of  strings  up  and  down, 


145 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


the  very  ideal  of  frolic.  After  repetition  of  all 
of  this,  we  are  curious  how  far  the  master  will 
ascend  (or  descend)  to  the  region  of  reflective 
thought  in  what  German  technique  calls  the 
Durchfuhrung.  But  all  we  can  discover  is,  after 
careering  and  coursing  of  the  leading  figure,  a 
little  wondering  pause  in  violins,  echoed  or 
mimicked  by  lower  strings : 


Strings. 


^-^ 


^A 


-A 


^ 


ifltii^^ 


;:^ 


«/ 


-^^ 


-0-  -0- 


© 


'W=K 


d& 


-P2- 


^ 


plunging  back  into  the  rollicking  swing.  Later, 
as  the  high  woodwind  echoes  the  dance,  there 
is  a  queer  effect  of  mockery  of  this  reflecting 
figure  in  the  violins,  in  quick  successive  an- 
swers, after  which  there  is  a  return  to  the 
original  festivity,  with  deepening  and  extend- 
ing of  the  little  discussion  (above  quoted). 
The  ending  corresponds   in   increased   boister- 

ousness,  with  a  full  sounding  of  the  pervading 

146 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


phrase,  together  with  an  answer  developed  in 
the  discussion  above  described,  which  seems  to 
vent  the  bursting  feeling  in  an  almost  articulate 
phrase  of  exultation : 

Woodwind. 


Strings  doubled  above.        ^        J 


Li 


The  Fifth  Symphony. 

We  have  so  far  conceived  a  symphony  as 
an  expression  of  a  dominant  feeling,  from  a 
subjective  stand-point,  or,  objectively,  as  a  view 
of  life,  in  four  typical  phases  or  moods,  of 
which  the  first  is  of  aspiring  resolution,  the 
second  of  pathos,  the  third  of  humor,  the 
the  fourth  of  triumph.  With  such  a  plan, 
which  was  gradually  and  unconsciously  devel- 
oped from  Haydn  to  Beethoven,  we  could  not 
expect  a  great  number  of  symphonies  from  one 
master.  A  man's  pervading,  fundamental  feeling 
147 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

or  view  could  not  change  so  as  to  permit  him 
to  write  two  such  symphonies  in  quick  succes- 
sion.* But  this  purpose  may  be  called  the  high- 
est. There  are  really  two  kinds  of  symphonies, 
the  titled,  and  the  untitled,  where  the  range 
of  feeling  is  narrowed,  more  or  less,  in  some 
way.  And  we  might  even  distinguish  a  third 
class,  where  there  is  a  mere  suggestion,  by  in- 
scription or  by  a  cursory  remark  of  the  com- 
poser, of  the  prevailing  mood,  contrasted  with 
those  works  in  which  there  is  an  expressly 
limited  field  from  the  beginning.  Of  course, 
we  must  never  forget  the  unconsciousness  of 
masters  of  these  general  or  special  purposes. 

A  very  striking  example  of  the  specially  titled 
symphony  is  Beethoven's  Sixth,  the  Pastoral, 
"on  the  memories  of  life  in  the  country."  We 
have  described  the  Heroic  Symphony,  written 
"  to  celebrate  the  memory  of  a  great  man."  In 
more  modern  works  such  titles  as  Spring, 
Forest,  Winter,  Rhine  are  prominent. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  the  importing  of  titles 


*  Mozart's  rapid  composition  of  his  three  great  sym- 
phonies must  be  viewed  rather  as  the  completion  of 
earlier  sketches. 

148 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

into  the  symphony,  the  introduction  of  what 
is  called  programme  music,  in  itself  has  added 
to  its  dignity  or  power.  Perhaps  the  best  type  is 
Beethoven's  Pastoral,  which  is  annotated  thus : 
First  Movement,  Pleasant  Feelings  awakened 
on  arriving  in  the  Country ;  Second,  Scene  at 
the  Brook  ;  Third,  Jovial  Meeting  of  Country 
People,  interrupted  by  Fourth,  Thunder  and 
Storm,  in  turn  interrupted  by  the  final  move- 
ment, entitled  Sentiments  of  Benevolence  and 
Gratitude  to  God  after  the  Storm.  Of  course, 
it  is  impossible  not  to  accept  the  composer's  in- 
terpretation. But  it  must  be  remembered  that 
in  his  sketches  an  appended  note  was  fcxind, 
directing  the  hearer  to  find  the  situations  for 
himself;  and,  further,  that  in  the  final  pro- 
gramme Beethoven  added  to  the  title  the 
words,  "  Rather  an  Expression  of  Feeling  than 
a  Picture."  If  we  should  be  obliged  to  dis- 
pense with  any  of  Beethoven's  symphonies, 
I  venture  to  say  that  in  the  Pastoral  least 
would  be  lost.  It  is  not  overbold  to  say  that 
Beethoven  himself  was  not  consciously  aware 
of  the  true  dignity  and  power  of  the  sym- 
phony.    Truth   in   art   is   determined,  not   by 

reasoned  a  priori  deduction,  but  by  an  irregular 
149 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

course  of  experiment,  where  much  error  must 
be  expected. 

In  choosing  from  the  rich  field  a  single  work 
as  a  type  for  illustration,  from  the  limits  of  the 
untitled  class,  the  Fifth,  in  C  Minor,  seems  the 
most  broadly  representative.  The  work  was 
produced  in  1808,  having  been  for  years  in 
course  of  composition.  No  title  appears  in 
the  programme,  except 

Symphony  No.  5,  in  C  Minor,  op.  67. 

1.  Allegro  con  Brio. 

2.  Andante  con  Moto. 

3.  Allegro  {Scherzo). 

4.  Allegro.     Presto. 

There  is,  perhaps,  one  prejudice  to  the  un- 
assisted interpretation.  It  is  Beethoven's  re- 
ported casual  suggestion  of  a  meaning  of  the 
principal  motive ;  but  for  the  present  that 
may  be  disregarded.  The  symphony  is  char- 
acterized by  a  sublime  dignity,  vigor,  and 
breadth.  At  the  first  hearing  it  is  impossible 
not  to  feel  that  there  is  a  very  real  purpose 
behind  the  notes.  The  entire  absence  of  friv- 
olous dallying  with  themes,  the  striking  con- 
trast of  succeeding  melodies  (especially  towards 

the  end  of  the  third  and   fourth  movements, 
150 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

which,  against  all  tradition,  follow  each  other 
without  a  stop),  above  all,  the  iteration  from 
beginning  to  end  of  a  certain  short  passage, 
but  four  notes : 


^^ijnrQ: 


XT 


with  the  whole  orchestra  at  times  hidden  in 
the  basses  and  drums,  now  in  its  grim,  terrible 
severity,  again  in  a  dancing  measure,  then  in 
timid,  mysterious  discord,  until  it  ends  in  the 
clearest  note  of  triumph, — can  it  be  said  that 
all  this  means  nothing,  until  or  unless  it  be 
translated  word  for  note  into  the  language  of 
commonplace  ? 

As  in  all  truly  great  works  of  the  human 
mind,  there  must  be  a  certain  degree  of  intelli- 
gent perception.  Further,  a  certain  maturity 
is  absolutely  necessary  to  understand  Beetho- 
ven. He  is  not  for  the  young ;  above  all,  not 
for  the  shallow.  For  these  he  is  often  no  more 
than  ugly  and  ominous  noise,  which  makes 
them  uneasy.  They  should  shun  him.  His 
listeners  must  be  capable  of  feeling  the  grim- 
ness,  the  terror,  the  fight  of  life.  Then  they 
151 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

can  exult  with  him  in  the  triumphant  joy  of 
the  undaunted. 

The  recurring  problem  of  musical  study  is 
the  mode  of  this  perception.  There  has 
always  been  a  dilemma  between  a  mere  sympa- 
thetic, emotional  attitude  and  that  of  technical 
analysis.  Neither  is  adequate.  The  answer 
must  be  in  analogy  to  the  truth  of  the  mode 
of  creation,  which  is  a  blending  of  feeling  and 
of  high  art,  where  the  latter  is  subordinate,  yet 
indispensable  as  unconscious  means  of  expres- 
sion. So  the  listener  cannot  expect  to  perceive 
unless  he  know  this  high  language  of  the 
master.  Yet  in  mere  analysis  he  will  not  find 
the  message ;  for  art  does  not  communicate 
propositions  by  logical  proof.  The  listener 
must  be  in  sympathetic,  expectant  attitude, 
not  closed  like  a  fortress  to  the  besieger,  not 
disdaining  the  utmost  knowledge  of  the  art- 
medium,  with  mind  fully  intent  on  the  emo- 
tional meaning,  by  a  similar  blending,  as  of 
the  original  composer. 

We    might   revert    briefly  to    some  special 

step  in  Beethoven's  advance.      It  was  in  the 

third    movement    that    Beethoven     made   the 

greatest    change    in   outline.     Originally,  with 

152 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Haydn  and  Mozart,  it  was  an  idealized  dance ; 
Beethoven  made  it  a  humorous  phase,  fitting 
with  the  whole  plan.  But  the  humor  was 
typically  sardonic.  He  changed  its  name,  too, 
from  minuet  to  scherzo.  But  more  significant 
is  the  change  in  the  treatment  of  the  theme. 
The  era  of  childlike  simplicity  had  passed.  A 
more  intellectual  and  more  virile  age  had  ar- 
rived, in  which  the  leading  melody  in  itself  is 
not  so  important  as  its  use  literally  and  strictly 
as  a  theme ;  an  age  of  musical  thinking  as 
against  dreaming ;  of  cerebration  as  against 
mere  inspiration ;  of  a  logical  sequence  of 
thought  rather  than  a  blunt  alternative ;  of  a 
tendency  which  has  resulted  in  a  school  where 
the  theme  is  no  more  an  integral  part  of  a 
work  than  is  the  title  of  a  story. 

There  is  no  more  convincing  evidence  of 
the  peculiar  power  of  music,  which  we  have  been 
trying  to  define,  than  in  the  comparison  of  such 
works  as  the  seventh  and  the  fifth  symphonies ; 
of  this  graphic  portrayal,  not  of  pictures,  not  of 
stories,  not  of  doctrines,  but  of  feelings.  And 
while  saying  the  word  we  are  aware  of  its  utter 
weakness ;  for  feeling  may  mean  the  emptiest, 
the  most  frivolous,  the  most  useless  thing,  as, 
153 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

indeed,  it  may  be  the  weightiest,  the  most  pre- 
cious, the  most  powerful.  For  when  traced 
thoroughly,  feehng  such  as  prompts  great  art- 
works is  the  spring  of  all  else  in  life  worth  re- 
cording. It  is  the  original  fount  of  all  heroic 
action,  of  statesmanship,  of  ethics,  of  poetry,  of 
humanity  ;  indeed,  these  are  but  the  cold  expres- 
sion of  that  which  is  the  living,  sentient  fire.  It 
would  not  be  difficult  for  a  historian  to  find  in 
the  revolution  of  France,  in  the  Constitution  of 
America,  the  crystallized  result  of  the  passion 
which  began  to  rouse  men  in  unconscious  be- 
ginnings from  the  first  years  of  Humanism  in 
Italy.  And,  useful  as  these  organized  institu- 
tions must  be,  the  most  precious  forms  of 
expression  will  be  those  which  show  most  of 
the  unconscious  fire  and  vehemence  of  the 
original  impelling  feeling.  In  proportion  as 
they  take  on  practical  shapes,  they  will  lose 
their  natural  vigor.  Thus  it  is  that  a  me- 
dium like  music,  which,  without  pretence  of 
articulate  definition  of  the  prose  language  of 
human  makeshift,  of  so-called  practical  adjust- 
ment to  the  externals  of  changing  conditions, 
still  rears  the  highest  structure  of  Art,  on  figures 
of  enthralling  beauty,  will  be  the  most  perfect 
154 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

human  utterance  of  our  feelings,  those  all- 
powerful,  noblest  stirrings  in  man's  nature. 
There  is  no  corollary  here  of  depreciation  of 
logic,  of  significant  language.  There  must  be 
divers  modes  of  utterance,  varying  in  nobility, 
suited  to  differing  natures  and  differing  con- 
ditions of  creation  and  of  reception.  In  the 
various  utterance  of  emotion,  of  whatever  shade 
of  Art  or  of  differentiated  meaning,  constituting 
human  intercourse,  lies  the  seed  or  stimulus 
for  ever  new  and  nobler  feelings,  which  in  turn 
need  newer  utterance,  and  lead  in  their  ex- 
pression to  improvement  and  ennoblement  of 
outward  conditions  of  human  life. 

Not  only  in  their  separate  song,  but  in  their 
contrast,  are  seen  the  varying  qualities  of  those 
two  great  symphonies,  and  thereby  of  the  ver- 
satile power  of  the  language  of  music  that  Men- 
delssohn meant  when  he  said  that  music  was 
much  more  definite  than  prose,  the  very  quality 
which  laymen — those  who  live  in  externals — 
are  fully  persuaded  is  absolutely  non-existent. 

The  Seventh  is  a  mighty  psean  of  joy,  in 
utterance  of  subjective  feeling.  The  Fifth  is 
burdened  with  the  stern  awfulness  of  the  ex- 
ternal power,  with  which  the  strongest  can  but 
155 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


struggle.  Most  of  us  run,  as  from  the  rain,  or 
hide,  as  from  the  Hghtning,  and  gratefully  bask 
in  intermittent  sunshine.  The  solitary  Pro- 
metheus can  at  highest  express  the  sense  of 

struggle,  or But  let  the  symphony  be  its 

own  evangel. 

At  the  very  beginning,  the  ominous  motto 
strong,  but  in  stern,  hollow  octaves : 

Allegro  con  brio. 
Strings  doubled  in  two  octaves  below. 


3: 


-# 0- 


^zrJiuti 


fff 

then   lightly  dancing  in  the  strings,  with  the 
rhythm  which  it  first  lacked,  it  rises,  a  melody 

Strings  and  Fagots. 

-fr  r       .-, — — .-^^'^-r-J- 


^^3E^=^^ 


in  its  responsive  singing,  ending  in  massive 
chords  and  in  a  pause  that  adds  to  the  solem- 
nity of  legendary  utterance.     The  first  pages 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


are  full  of  stern,  sombre  melody,  yet  without 
lack  of  resistless  motion.  Strange  this  con- 
stant, vital  impulse,  without  joyousness.  And 
striking  here,  the  contrast  in  sentient  meaning 
of  the  Fifth  and  the  Seventh  Symphonies,  the 
merciless  drive  of  objective,  external  destiny  as 
against  internal,  subjective  joy. 

After  a  more  decided,  rational  sounding  of 
the  motto  by  the  horns,  follows  the  quiet, 
pious  second  melody  in  the  violins,  in  soothing 
major,  unmistakable  in  its  sense  of  beseeching, 
of  refuge  from  the  first, — cherishing  peace  and 
solace.     But  it  cannot  resist  anxiety  stealing  in 

Strings. 
10  dolce. 


ff  Horns. 


S^ 


5t 


5 


5 


^ 


T' 


y^. 


^ 


* 


X 


<s^ — 


m. 


■j^± 


and  increasing,  as  the  four  notes  are  approach- 
ing in  the  background  of  the  basses,  on  to  a 
climax,  where  the  repeated  statement  ends 
with  a  determined  ringing  of  the  motto.  No 
greater  contrast  can  be  imagined  than  of  the 

157 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


two  melodies.  It  is  like  the  dialogue  of  differ- 
ent persons ;  of  stern  necessity  and  pleading 
spirit,  with  a  quality  of  pious  trust. 

Here  is  the  phase  of  discussion,  with  au- 
sterest  warning,  and  then  on  with  the  rhyth- 
mical melody  and  the  same  theme,  first  gentle 

Strings,  Clarionet,  and  Horns. 


■ff  in  doubled  octaves. 

and  light,  soon  fitful  and  feverish,  into  furious 
hammering.  The  more  rational  phase  appears, 
which  promises  to  bring  in  the  plaint  of  second 
melody ;  but  it  is  lost  in  the  wild  rush  of  the 
fateful  sounds,  and  so,  most  rare  and  most  sig- 
nificant, there  is  no  sign  of  the  second  melody 
in  the  whole  period  of  discussion.  Instead, 
there  is  a  responsive  succession  of  solemn 
chords,  tapering  off  with  monotonous  repeti- 

WOODWIND  AND  BRASS. 

Si  RINGS. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

tion,  like  the  stillness  of  Egyptian  temple,  into 
timid  expectancy  before  the  renewed  shocks  of 
the  terrible  hammers,  ringing  their  incessant, 
fateful  thud,  without  peace  and  solace,  in  the 
original  motto,  followed  by  the  original  suc- 
cession of  melodies,  where  the  second  sounds 
more  helpless  and  pitiful  than  ever.  In  the 
coda  the  main  theme  still  predominates,  with 
a  brief  fugue,  suggestive  of  priest  and  church, 
but  above  all  filled  with  the  gloom  of  ruthless 
Doom.     There  is  no  mercy  as  yet. 

Andante  con  moto.  It  might  well  have  been 
called  Andante  Religioso.  There  is  an  entire 
change  with  the  first  note ;  in  the  first  impres- 
sion, rest  from  turbulence  and  anxiety ;  but 
soon  we  cannot  be  quite  sure  whether  it  is 
really  rest  or  still  a  seeking  for  rest ;  like  the 
distinction  of  Lessing's  "  Truth  and  Search  for 
Truth,"  of  which  he  preferred  the  latter.  There 
seems  to  be  a  distinct  feeling  of  prayer  about 
the  Andante.  Perhaps  the  best  word  would 
be  Faith, — a  trustful  reliance,  which  varies  in 
strength  as  the  attacks  from  without  vary  in 
intensity,  which  are  clear  in  the  dim  reminders 
of  the  haunting  motive. 

But  the  predominant  feeling  is  contained  in 
159 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  leading  melody,   first   announced    in    the 
violas  and  in  the  celli.     It  is  that  kind  of  mel- 

Andante  con  moto. 
Violas  and  Cellos. 


P^ 


P  dolce. 
Basses,  pizz. 


a 

—<^    y- 


ody  where  Beethoven  strikes  his  deepest  note ; 
the  tone  of  profoundest  sympathy,  which  bound 
men  to  him  most. 

It  is  not  without  interest  that  Beethoven  is 
known  to  have  toiled  on  this  theme,  much  as  a 
sculptor  chisels  his  vision  out  of  the  marble. 
It  shows  that  there  is  no  necessary  connection 
between  the  beauty  of  a  melody  and  the  ease 
with  which  it  was  first  uttered,  which  is  often 
called  spontaneity.  On  the  contrary,  there  is 
reason  to  think  that  the  musical  thoughts  of 
highest  value  were  not  without  a  certain  cor- 
responding labor  in  their  final  perfection.    The 

i6o 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


manner  of  writing  is  thus  often  of  high  interest 
in  gauging,  by  comparison,  the  special  quahty 
of  each  master.  Thus,  for  example,  this  is  a 
melody  which  Schubert  could  not  write.  And 
we  remember  how  Schubert  wrote  with  abso- 
lute freedom  from  toil,  as  if  delivering  himself 
of  a  pressing  burden.  High  and  rare  as  was 
Schubert's  fancy,  he  had  not  that  vein  of  deep 
personal  human  sympathy  which  marks  Beetho- 
ven not  only  as  of  the  greatest  among  hum:  n 
poets,  but  of  the  greatest  among  the  men  of ::;{{ 
time.  There  is  a  tendency  to  value  too  highly 
the  quality  of  ease  of  utterance.  It  would  be 
better  to  err  on  the  other  side. 

This  melody  is  the  main  tissue  of  the  whole 
movement.  It  is  varied  only  by  a  secondary 
one,  which  is  contrasted  neither  in  key  nor  in 
theme,    serving,    in    its   simplicity,   for   quick 

Clarionets. 


Wi(A  obligato  of  Violas. 
i6i 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

modulation  into  triumphant  bursts,  or  preceded 
often  by  timid  drooping  before  a  suggestion 
of  the  terrible  motto  : 

Violins  with  sustaining  Clarionets. 

JzJ M_±l 


PP   •  *1 

Violins  and  Violas. 

First  it  rushes  into  a  bold  cadence  in  a 
new  tonal  atmosphere ;  but,  quickly  relaps- 
ing, wanders,  still  pursued  by  the  motto,  an 
anxious  suppliant,  into  the  refuge  of  the  first 
melody.  The  predominance  of  the  chief  mel- 
ody is  veiled  by  new  figures  of  rhythm  and 
of  setting,  and  by  intervening  touches  of  elo- 
quent pleading  or  of  austere  solemnity.  At 
the  last  verse  there  is  a  decided  joyfulness  in 
the  prayer,  —  a  vision  of  coming  victory, 
where  woodwind  and  higher  strings  unite  in 
loudest  acclaim  on  the  melody,  the  horns 
sound  the  harmony,  the  drums  the  rhythm, 
and  the  lower  strings  strum  in  rapid  accompani- 
ment.    The  end  is  in  a  spirit  of  reassurance. 

Probably  nothing  in   all   musical  literature 

offers  such  a  subtle  and  irresistible  temptation 
162 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

to  find  a  hidden  content,  as  this  third  move- 
ment, where  the  name  Scherzo  seems  to  have 
been  omitted  only  because  it  was  not  needed ; 
although  the  humor  is  of  a  kind  that,  in  its 
sombre  profundity,  is  as  peculiarly  Beethoven's 
as  is  the  pathetic  or  sympathetic  quality  of  the 
Andante.  The  temptation  comes,  I  suppose, 
from  the  curious  atmosphere  which  one  feels 
immediately  on  entrance,  like  that  of  a  magi- 
cian, when  the  lights  are  lowered  and  terrible 
things  are  going  to  happen.*  There  is  a  bril- 
liant though  dark-hued  dramatic  color  about  it 
all,  as  in  some  ideal  Freischuetz^  without  inter- 
fering words. 

At  the  risk  of  seeming  rhapsodical  to  some, 
pedantic  to  others,  I  must  recur  to  some  well- 
worn  philosophical  terms,  for  lack  of  better 
ones.  I  can  find  nothing  more  expressive  than 
subjective  and  objective  for  a  certain  quality 
or  relation  of  themes.  I  cannot  escape  them ; 
for,  more  than   suggestive   or  symbolic,  they 

*  It  may  be  interesting  for  the  reader  to  compare  the 
impression  Berlioz  gives  of  this  Scherzo  somewhere  in 
his  writings.  The  author  has  purposely  refrained  from 
reading  it  anew,  in  order  to  present  an  unbiassed  impres- 
sion of  his  own. 

163 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


represent  accurately  the  truth  of  the  composer's 
intent.  Thus,  nothing  can  be  clearer  than  this 
relative  significance  of  question  and  answer  in 
the  first  theme,  where  the  former  rises  from 
the  sombre  depths  of  the  basses,  like  a  sinister 

Allegro. 
Violins  with  added  Woodwind. 


J^ 


^ 


PP  Basses. 


^^^ 


4: 


ii 


poco  ritard. 


-4- 


^- 


PP  Strings. 


S 


f 


^: 


a        ^ 


iJ- 


1- 


ti 


^ 


message,  while  the  answer,  in  higher  harmony, 

is  as  unmistakably,  as  against  the  outer  danger, 

the  inner  deprecation.     Whatever  any  one  may 

read   of  story  or  meaning,  according   to  his 

sensible  or  inflammable  state,  no  one  who  can 
164 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


feel  music  at  all,  can  deny  this  sharp  relation 
of  a  foreign  omen  and  a  personal  plaint.  It  is 
good  to  have  some  bed-rock  truth. 

Now,  after  the  repeated  phrase  and  pause, 
what  shall  we  say  to  this  entering  figure  ?  How 
shall  we  take  it  ?  For,  as  for  simply  accepting 
a  tripping  theme  in  three-quarter  time,  and  no 
more, — that  is,  once  for  all,  out  of  the  question. 
This  is  not  that  kind  of  music.  For  those  who 
can  or  will  feel  nothing  more,  we  can  express 
mere  pity.  The  horns  sound,  in  curious 
three-quarter    dance   time,  a   kind   of  iambic 


^ 


i 


Horns. 


q= 


i 


:q=F 


ffi 


tt^     X     J? 


ff 


^  S 


i?  s 


-^^ 


-^? — ^ 


f  y  y 


^ 


i?    X 


r 


s  ;? 


=^ 


X     X 


-z;^T- 


^.S    X 


^w- 


-^ — s- 


■^ 


=F=*^ 


-^^S- 


165 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

waltz,  while  strings  are  thrumming  the  har- 
mony, a  theme  of  which  all  but  the  end  is 
nothing  but  groups  of  successive  G's,  with  pe- 
riodical halts,  all  with  utmost  vehemence,  im- 
mediately answered  and  extended  by  the  whole 
orchestra,  with  martial  vigor.  None  can  fail 
to  see  the  hidden  relation  with  the  original 
motto  of 'the  symphony ;  only  it  has  the  guise 


of  a  newer  rhythm ;  for  it  dances  along  with 
infectious,  resistless  swing,  instead  of  the  dull 
thud,  with  awing  pause. 

But  how  shall  we  take  it,  even  so  ?  Some- 
times there  is  almost  a  touch  of  sardonic  pro- 
fanity, almost  of  blasphemy,  of  unholy  jesting 
with  unspeakable  things.  Critics  have  been 
sure  of  the  ring  of  defiance  here. 

But  we  must  remember  several  things. 
Some  of  them  we  are  always  forgetting.  For 
one,  it  is  the  paradox  of  musical  literature  that 
the  composer  is  less  conscious  of  his  intent  than 
is  the  intelligent  hearer.  And  the  reason  is  not 
far.     The  poet's  mind  is  too  intensely  absorbed 

1 66 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

with  his  creation  to  have  an  undercurrent 
thought  for  the  quahty  of  his  mood.  That 
will  take  care  of  itself,  will  express  itself  in  the 
art,  the  better  for  being  unwatched.  But  for 
the  listener  it  is  otherwise ;  he  must  by  all  means 
get  as  near  as  he  can  to  the  mood  of  the  master. 

And  then  we  must  not  expect  to  see  this 
sentient  meaning  (as  it  might  be  called)  con- 
stant and  interlinear,  word  for  note.  There 
must  be  often  great  uncertainty.  And  yet, 
within  large  limits,  there  may  be  the  most  ab- 
solute certainty.  Thus  there  may  be  an  in- 
definable border-land  between  the  subjective 
and  objective  attitudes,  while  at  times  the  two 
are  clearly  distinguished. 

It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  tell  whether  a 
writer  or  a  speaker  is  in  earnest  or  in  jest.  It 
is  not  strange  if  we  cannot  be  absolutely  cer- 
tain of  the  intent  of  a  composer,  especially  if 
he  himself  could  not  tell  us.  If  Beethoven 
had  written  " Scherzo"  there  might  be  enough 
ground  for  the  ring  of  defiant  humor  which 
many    critics    hear.*     But,   altogether,    to   us 

*  Literal   questions    and   questioners    for    each    phrase 
must  be  shunned   with   the  same    horror   as    the    terrible 
people  who  ply  you  for  categorical  answers  of  yes  or  no. 
■  167 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


the  hue  of  seriousness  prevails,  what  with  the 
gloom  of  the  minor,  the  vehemence  of  the 
chords,  notwithstanding  the  constant  tripping 
movement.  Still  suggesting  the  former  correl- 
atives, it  is  the  old  burden  of  external  omen. 
The  light  rhythm,  which  for  some  means  grim 
defiance,  seems  rather  merely  a  new  phase  for 
the  former  threatening  evil.  But  in  the  middle 
episode,  commonly  called  the  Trio^  there  can 
be  no  such  doubt. 

As  the  lowest  strings  start  alone  in  a  rum- 
bling dance   movement,  here   is  the  spirit   of 


Cellos  and  Basses  (in  octaves). 


^ 


^- 


^ 


3 


/ 


'm. 


:*=t 


:t 


-^ 


ii 


purest,  roughest  humor,  boisterous, — not  horse- 
play, much  too  ponderous.  One  thinks  of  the 
elephant  dance  in  the  jungle  book.  In  the 
second  part  the  humor  is  still  clearer  in  the 
successive  broken  attempts  of  the  basses  before 

Basses  alone. 


fWrn 


^ 


t 


~^=F^ 


£ 


-*— ^ 


/ 


dim. 


1 68 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


they  once  more  find  their  feet  and  rumble 
away  in  the  dance.  But  the  humor  has  the 
profound,  eternal  quality,  fitting  with  highest 
art,  first  ending  in  a  great  bacchanale.  The 
second  time  it  dwindles  away,  until  we  are 
suddenly  back  in  the  sinister,  cavernous  gloom 
of  the  first  melody ;  again,  in  the  puzzling 
beat  of  tripping  motto,  whether  human  or 
superhuman,  descending  into  still  lower  depths 
of  sombrest  gloom,  with  demoniacal  perver- 
sion of  the  melody,  when  suddenly  a  turn  of 
the  major  lets  in  a  clear  ray  of  hope,  and  then 
comes  the  heroic  lift  from  the  abode  of  devils 
to  that  of  angels,  from  hell  to  heaven,  from 
sinister,  overwhelming  evil  to  moral  triumph, 
to  emancipation  of  the  spirit,  as  the  final 
Allegro,  awaiting  no  pause,  throwing  off  the 
shackles  of  the  tripping  pace,  bursts  in  exult- 

Allegro. 
Full  Orchestra. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

ant  marching  chords  in  brightest  major.  It 
is  all  clear  as  the  spelled  word, — nay,  clearer ; 
a  striking  example,  again,  of  Mendelssohn's 
mot  about  music  and  prose.  Your  poly- 
syllable from  the  Latin,  with  devious  deri- 
vation, has  a  cold  convention  of  meaning : 
the  music  here  is  the  meaning  itself,  is  the 
living  and  beautiful  embodiment  of  this  very 
spirit  of  achieved  freedom  from  outward  con- 
ditions.* 

Curiously,  yet  naturally,  the  feeling  does  not 
break  at  first  into  a  pronounced  melody,  as  if 
the  joy  were  too  great  to  find,  for  a  while,  a 
clear  utterance.  So  there  are  really  two  prin- 
cipal melodies,  of  which,  when  the  first  has  ex- 
hausted its  boisterous  exuberance,  the  second 
sings  a  clearer  and  quieter  chant,  while  the 
noisy  basses  are  ever  interrupting  with  turbu- 
lent coursing  up  and  down.  So  plain  is  the 
chant,  that  you  can  almost  hear  the  voices,  as 
of  some  great,  comprehensive    choral  hymn : 


*  Again,    it    is    suggested    that    Berlioz's   comment    be 
read  of  the  whole  symphony.      There  is  also  one  by  Sir 
George  Grove  in  a  book  on   Beethoven's   Nine  Sympho- 
nies.    There  must  be  other  descriptions. 
170 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Oboe,  Clarionet,  and  Horns. 


i 


-sf 


^^ 


5 


*^ 


■<;--- 


^^^ 


-(2- 


:^ 


S--- 


4= 


-H'^ 


■'«'- 


CJi^ 


^ 


Basses. 


a 


« 


Z5t- 


r-  t? 


r-r 


^ 


^ 


^ 


-f-^^--- 


^:p=# 


S 


especially  in  the  farther  extending  of  the 
melody,  still  in  clear  notes  of  song.  At  last 
he  has  found  articulate  praise.  And  so  he 
glides  into  a  serener  melody  in  a  milder  at- 

Strings.  ^^^^, 


5 


m. 


i-f: 


-#— » 


/ 


4\_4XTiAA^'^^^ 


171 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


fci 


^^^S 


WT^ 


m 


-J      Ji^f 


m 


p=r=TCR 


mosphere  (the  ofBcial  second  melody  in  dom- 
inant key),  with  less  defiant,  more  feminine 
ring,  more  of  pure,  joyous  abandon,  joined  in 
refrain  of  the  whole  orchestra,  growing  quite 
conversational.  Then,  as  if  something  must 
still  be  said,  a  little  postscript  melody,  in  wood- 


Strings. 


Woodwind 


— i^r-^^^^S^^pz^-^- — p- 


172 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

wind  and  strings,  likewise  sanctioned  by  full 
acclaim  of  all.  All  of  which  is  repeated,  as 
integral  text  and  tissue  of  the  whole,  not  as 
mere  incidental  thoughts.  The  latter  of  the 
secondary  melodies  is  more  serious  than  the 
former ;  but  there  is  no  uncertainty  or  droop- 
ing. In  fact,  the  note  of  confident  joy  is  main- 
tained continuously  in  the  discussion  (all,  of  the 
first  of  the  secondary  themes),  varying  in  pro- 
fundity, in  sparkling  humor,  ending  in  renewed 
burst  of  exultant  triumph,  where  articulate 
tune  is  again  lost  in  the  vague  intensity, — when 
suddenly,  without  a  warning,  the  mysterious 
tripping  of  the  furious  movement  re-enters 
with  its  early  stealth,  and  leads,  as  before,  to 
the  burst  of  the  final  Allegro.  It  is,  I  suppose, 
a  sort  of  reminiscence  of  the  early  terror,  in 
order  to  make  more  sure  of  the  reality  of  the 
victory.  Again,  the  triumphant  song  sounds, 
first  vague,  then  defined ;  as  the  third  melody 
appears  in  the  tonic  key,  instead  of  the  comple- 
mentary, we  have  a  queer  feeling  of  nearing 
home ;  still  more  with  the  fourth  in  the  same 
familiar  region.  But  we  must  return  once 
more  to  the  happy  strain  of  the  episode. 
Then  a  bright,  hilarious  peal  of  the  second 
173 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

theme,  with  new  rhythmic  charm.  From  here 
on  the  movement  is  ever  faster  and  faster ; 
not  feverish ;  mere  festal  assurance  of  highest 
joy ;  until  the  last  theme  is  rehearsed  with 
doubled    speed.     Still    faster,  into  a   final    re- 

Presto.  Strings, 


^^m^^^m 


affirmance  of  the  original  theme  of  assured 
victory,  extended  into  a  complete  close ;  but 
we  cannot  stop.  We  rush  on,  until,  after 
endless  vague  reiterations,  the  end  at  last  may 
merely  come,  because  it  must. 

I  have  said  that  Beethoven  is  reported  to 
have  given  casually  an  interpretation  of  his 
motto,  "  So  klopft  das  Schicksal  an  die  Pforte" 
("Thus  Fate  knocks  at  the  door").  I  al- 
most wish  he  had  said  nothing ;  that  there 
might  be  a  perfect  test  and  example  of  the 
power  of  music  to  define  sentient  truth,  truth 
of  feeling.  Starting  with  Beethoven's  words, 
it  is  quite  possible  to  build  up  a  complete  pic- 
ture of  the  strife  of  spirit  with  fate.  But  as 
soon  as  the  mind  occupies  itself  with  the  de- 
174 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

tails  of  an  imaginative  picture,  the  musical  at- 
tention flags.  It  cannot  be  literally  translated. 
The  purpose  of  the  master  is  not  a  picture  for 
entertainment ;  it  is  the  communication  of  a 
sentiment  such  as  that  under  which  great  deeds 
are  done  and  genuine  greatness  is  achieved, 
which  does  not  depend  for  its  force  upon 
its  minute  definability.  The  more  closely  we 
follow  the  music,  the  less  we  can  stray  from 
this  true  meaning,  this  content  of  sentiment. 

Remarkable  as  is  the  contrast  of  the  Fifth 
with  the  Seventh  Symphony,  its  difference 
from  the  Third  is  even  more  striking.  Rebel- 
lion against  existing  conventional  tyranny  and 
oppression  is  not  rare  in  Beethoven,  whether  in 
words  or  in  notes.  But  there  is  something  far 
more,  far  deeper,  in  the  Fifth  Symphony. 
Whatever  Beethoven  may  or  may  not  have 
said,  there  is  no  resisting  the  convincing  im- 
pression of  a  sense  of  dull,  superhuman,  over- 
powering external  evil,— -of  hopeless  supplica- 
tion, of  prayerful  faith,  of  assured  triumph. 
Whether  we  have  labels  or  not,  we  feel  that 
the  burden  is  that  greatest  of  man's  problems, 
as  in  the  tragedies  of  the  Greeks,  or  in  the  re- 
175 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

ligion  of  Jew  and  Christian.  And  the  solu- 
tion is  no  less  convincing,  nay,  far  more  so,  than 
if  set  forth  in  Kantian  logic.  It  is  as  clear  as 
words  could  make  it  a  triumph,  moral,  not 
physical,  and  so  much  the  more  real.  Fate 
has  no  power  over  man  himself,  the  inner 
man.  It  cannot  control  character.  The  book 
of  Job  IS  not  more  specific  in  its  content. 
But  beyond  all  is  the  overwhelming  power  of 
music,  which  makes  us  feel  it,  not  as  a  mere 
cold  symbol,  a  statement,  but  as  truth  itself. 


176 


VII 

SCHUBERT 

Schubert  is  at  once  the  most  understandable 
and  the  most  mysterious  of  tone-poets.  It  is 
not  eccentric  to  begin  thus  with  a  paradox,  for 
he  himself  was  a  Hving  paradox,  and  the  puzzle 
has  never  been  solved.  His  music  always 
speaks  direct  to  the  feelings.  There  is  not  the 
psychological  abstruseness  of  Bach  and  Beetho- 
ven, although  there  is  much  suggestion  of  the 
mystic  charm  of  deep  searching  for  truth. 
Schubert  is,  without  any  doubt,  far  the  most 
"  popular"  of  the  great  masters,  and  in  this 
position,  it  seems,  he  will  probably  never  be 
displaced.  We  do  not  knit  our  brows  in  list- 
ening to  him ;  we  do  not  wonder  at  his  mean- 
ing. We  sit  content  in  quiet  ecstasy,  like 
children  listening  to  entrancing  fairy  stories. 

But  when  we  consider  the  poet  himself,  the 

machinery  of  the  creation,  so  to  speak,  there 

seems  to  be  no  clue  whatever.     With  all  other 

composers  it  is  possible  analytically  to  discover 

12  177 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

so-called  causes,  inheritances,  traditions,  influ- 
ences, from  far  and  near,  personal  and  national, 
broad  and  narrow.  With  Schubert  we  stand 
absolutely  baffled.  Since  the  earliest  years  of 
his  career  he  has  been  the  great  mystery.  To 
his  daily  companions,  with  all  the  free  abandon 
of  his  good-fellowship,  he  was  still  "  der  Ein- 
zige,"  the  only  one,  the  unexplained.  The 
mystery  was  increased  by  the  lack  of  correspond- 
ence between  his  person  and  his  genius.  Schu- 
bert's presence  is  reported  as  insignificant.  He 
had  none  of  the  heroic  qualities  of  Beethoven, 
the  delight  in  making  an  awful  impression. 
But  in  any  man  the  quality  of  pouring  forth 
exquisite  melody  at  such  an  extraordinary  rate 
would  be  marvellous.  It  seems  just  like  some 
Tarnhelm,  or  magic  gift  in  legend.  Schubert 
had,  it  would  seem,  the  most  remarkable  nat- 
ural endowment  for  musical  creation  of  all. 
The  only  one  to  suggest  close  comparison  here 
is  Mozart.  Alike  they  had  this  untiring,  almost 
voracious  impulse  to  write,  Schubert  in  greater 
measure,  however.  He  would  write  four  and 
five  songs  in  a  day.  He  would  finish  one  and 
straightway  begin  another,  often  never  seeing 

them  again,  once  failing  to  recognize  one  a  few 

178 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

weeks  old.  The  thinnest  poetry  was  enough 
to  start  this  golden  flow  of  melody.  Schubert 
seems  almost  a  passive  instrument,  obedient  to 
the  voice  of  some  restless  external  genius. 
He  seemed  to  do  hardly  more  than  hold  the 
pen.  He  utterly  lacked  the  element  of  toil  of 
a  Beethoven,  a  Schumann,  or  a  Brahms.  And 
this  very  difference,  as  we  have  suggested,  and 
shall  repeat  later,  is  not  at  all  an  unmixed 
advantage.  Absolutely  there  seemed  no  limit 
to  the  flow  of  his  thought.  As  Schumann 
said,  he  could  have  set  a  placard  to  music. 
And,  indeed,  it  is  curious  that  while  in  his  six 
hundred  and  thirty-four  songs  he  duly  recog- 
nized the  greatest  poets,  yet  he  set  one  after 
another  of  utterly  worthless  libretti  for  opera, 
actually  burying  reams  of  great  music  in  the 
rubbish  of  bad  verse. 

The  difference  from  Mozart  is  for  good  and 
ill.  Schubert  rarely  reached  the  Olympian 
mastery  of  Mozart,  the  fruit  of  early  appren- 
ticeship. So  he  lacked  the  control,  the  sense 
of  completeness.  But  Mozart  had  not  that 
magic  virtue  of  Schubert,  of  lighting  on  some 
touch  of  undreamt  beauty  which  crowns  the 

mystery. 

179 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

After  all,  it  is  not  the  mere  velocity  of  crea- 
tion that  strikes  us  most.  Much  lesser  men 
have  been  equally  industrious.*  It  is  the  utterly 
new  beauty  that  Schubert  surprises  us  with  in 
songs,  piano,  and  chamber  works,  and  in  sym- 
phonies.f  While  Beethoven  slowly  chiselled 
out  his  utterance,  Schubert  found  his  without 
searching.'  And  it  is  this  that  seems  to  make 
Schubert's  art  less  part  of  himself,  less  subjec- 
tive, more  a  wonderful  gift,  separate  from  his 
own  thought. 

But  it  is  curious  and  significant  how  Bee- 
thoven has  that  other  quality  which  Schubert 
lacks.  Schubert  has  been  called  feminine 
in  contrast  with  Beethoven.  This  does  not 
seem  happy.  There  is  no  loss  of  vigor,  no 
absence  of  virility  and  fire.  But  the  broad 
human  sympathy  that  Beethoven  breathes  in 

*  Schubert  might  have  written  as  much  on  a  lower 
plane,  and  have  been  deservedly  forgotten.  Part  of  his 
work  is  on  such  a  plane. 

j"  Of  course,  once  a  high  point  attained,  a  poet  is 
seldom  content  with  a  lower  level.  But  the  wonder  with 
Schubert  is  how  he  could  rest  so  long  on  a  mediocre  level. 
Apparently  he  trusted  quite  passively  to  the  arrival  of 
the  true  thought. 

i8o 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

his  Andantes  comes  only  from  the  hero  who  has 
struggled  and  conquered,  and  looks  on  in  sym- 
pathy. Schubert  lacks  this  almost  entirely ; 
but  we  may  be  firmly  persuaded  that  if  he  had 
lived  longer  he  would  certainly  have  achieved 
it.  The  reason  we  shall  see  later  in  his  sym- 
phonies. But  in  the  youthful  career,  which 
was,  alas  I  the  whole,  he  was  the  unconscious 
seer  rather  than  the  moral  prophet  and  teacher. 
In  so  far  as  Beethoven  marks  an  advance  from 
Mozart  to  a  stage  where  music  expresses  a 
higher  degree  of  profound  meaning,  Schubert 
relapses  into  a  state  of  purely  spontaneous  in- 
spiration. 

And  yet,  in  our  hopeless  paradox,  Schubert 
has  elsewhere  a  striking  resemblance  to  Bee- 
thoven. We  have  suggested  in  the  Seventh 
Symphony  the  subtle  kinship  between  the 
Allegretto  and  Schubert's  melody  in  the  song, 
"  Death  and  the  Maiden,"  on  which  he  dis- 
courses at  length  in  one  of  his  famous  quartets. 
To  this  same  kind  of  magic  melody  belongs 
the  Andante  of  Schubert's  great  C  Major  Sym- 
phony. It  is  of  the  vein,  too,  in  which,  as  we 
have  seen,  Beethoven  often  begins  his  sympho- 
nies, especially  the  third  and  the  seventh,  the 

i8i 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

quality  so  difficult  to  express  in  English :  the 
sense  of  mystic  depth  and  meaning,  that  filled 
German  poetry  and  philosophy  early  in  the  cen- 
tury, which  must  be  true  of  all  times  and  of 
all  nations,  utterly  opposed  to  modern  English 
traditions  of  a  philosophy  built  on  geology.  It 
is  quite  apparent  in  the  beginning  of  Schubert's 
Unfinished  Symphony  ;  indeed,  in  a  sense,  it 
permeates  the  whole.  It  expresses  not  so  much 
a  German  national  feeling  as  a  certain  national 
mission,  or  message  of  the  Germans  to  the 
world  through  their  philosophy,  poetry,  and 
music.  And  here  is  seen  again  the  resistless 
power  of  Music  in  such  things,  in  intensify- 
ing the  deep  poetry  of  Goethe,  of  Herder,  of 
Schiller ;  in  beautifying,  in  idealizing  their 
sentiment,  in  glorifying  their  profound  vision. 
Thus,  through  Schubert  (and  Beethoven)  we 
actually  understand  better  and  feel  much  more 
strongly  the  thought  of  Fichte  and  Schelling, 
of  German  Romantic  philosophy.  He  gives 
of  that  period  of  awakening  the  very  essence 
of  what  Novalis  is  searching  for. 

But  the  note  in  Schubert  is  not  quite  the 
same  as  in  Beethoven ;  it  is  more  delicate,  less 

sombre,    softer,    but    true    and    sound,    never 
182 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

morbid  or  weak.  As  we  have  said,  if  Bee- 
thoven is  prophet,  Schubert  is  seer.  He  has 
less  of  ethical  leaven.  But  his  genius  is  in- 
tensely poetic  ;  it  is  the  essence  of  lyric  in- 
spiration. Hence  his  greatness  in  song,  not 
merely  German ;  his  perfect  settings  of  the 
highest  lyric  flights  of  a  Goethe  and  a  Shake- 
speare. But  his  quality  was  less  adapted  to 
symphony,  wherefore  his  true  symphonies  are 
all  the  more  wonderful. 

Like  Weber  in  fresh  romanticism,  he  is  ut- 
terly unlike  him  in  needing  no  outward  objects 
or  stories  for  his  fancy.  Yet  he  had  an  en- 
tirely different  subjectivity  from  Beethoven's, 
purely  lyric  as  against  the  heroic  and  epic. 
Schubert  in  his  moments  mounted  higher  than 
any.  He  was  the  Shelley  and  Keats  com- 
bined of  music ;  but  they  were  usually  mere 
moments,  not  continuous  thought,  on  a  high 
plane,  save  in  these  two  wonderful  sympho- 
nies. 

We  cannot  put  Schubert  down  as  mere 
lyricist.  He  is  not  lacking  in  the  philosophic 
insight  of  Goethe  and  of  Beethoven.  But 
with  all  his  poetic  impulse  he  had  not  so 
powerful  a  grasp  of  poetic  analysis  as  Beetho- 
183 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

ven,  though  he  had  a  keener  lyric  intuition. 
This  is  seen  in  his  endless,  sometimes  fruit- 
less, strivings, — the  vacuous  stretches  in  the  C 
Major  Symphony  and  in  many  piano  works. 
It  seems  as  if  he  writes  waiting  for  an  in- 
spiration to  come  while  writing ;  while  Bee- 
thoven writes  directly  to  the  point  of  melody 
or  climajj:. 

Some  light  on  Schubert's  indefinable  per- 
sonal quality  comes  from  the  feeling  and 
poetry  of  historic  and  national  surroundings. 
It  is  an  age  which,  in  music,  philosophy,  and 
poetry  is  commonly  given  the  name  "  Roman- 
tic." This  seems  very  like  a  blind  guide ;  for 
if  there  is  anything  indeterminate,  it  is  the 
"  Romantic"  in  art.  Various  definitions  are 
given  which  do  not  even  suggest  the  same 
idea.  One  from  an  intense  Romanticist  of  that 
day — Novalis,  the  poet-philosopher — a  very 
mild  description,  is  the  art  of  surprising  in  a 
pleasing  manner.  If  we  think  of  men  who 
shared  the  spirit  (and  of  others  who  lacked  it), 
we  shall  stumble  upon  a  foothold.  A  pioneer 
in  this  field,  who  was  then  thought  far  more 
important  than  Schubert,  was  Weber.     From 

him  we  have  a  clearer  idea  of  the  reaction.    But, 

184 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

first  of  all,  we  must  not  confine  Romanticism 
to  any  one  period.  There  is  nothing  fixed 
in  time  or  space  about  this  pair  of  correla- 
tives,— Classic  and  Romantic.  We  must  re- 
member that  Mozart  was  once  Romantic,  and 
Mendelssohn  is  generally  thought  Classic.  Yet 
the  term  has  so  striking  a  significance  at  the 
beginning  of  this  century,  the  contrast  between 
Schubert  and  Weber  and  their  predecessors  was 
so  great  that  the  former  will  probably  be  for 
all  time  typical  Romanticists. 

There  is  a  curiously  ponderous  sort  of  analysis 
by  Philipp  Spitta  of  the  Romantic  in  Opera,  in 
four  ingredient  elements, — the  imaginative,  the 
national,  the  comic,  and  the  realistic.  This  is, 
of  course,  too  definite  for  general  use.  It  will 
fit  but  one  period,  which,  to  be  sure,  we  are 
now  considering.  The  truth  is,  each  master  is 
dual  in  this  respect :  he  is  romantic  towards 
the  past  and  classic  for  the  future.  He  works 
for  change  in  traditions  and  for  permanency  for 
all  time ;  otherwise  he  is  merely  reactionary. 
The  same  thought,  the  same  feeling  cannot 
be  uttered  twice  in  succession  with  the  same 
freshness  and  spontaneous  beauty.  So,  with- 
out derogation  to  the  past,  a  new  poet  must 

i8S 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

create  anew.*  As  against  the  permanent 
classic  poetry  of  the  earHer  masters  there  was 
room  and  need  for  Schubert's  fancy.  And 
while  all  are  classics  for  posterity,  yet  the 
striking  change  in  Schubert  from  the  masters, 
who  were  almost  of  his  generation,  makes  him 
peculiarly  and  perennially  Romantic. 

We  might  very  well  in  the  last  two  chap- 
ters have  called  Beethoven  Romantic,  in  re- 
action from  Mozart,  perhaps  with  as  great 
accuracy  as  any  other  master.  Indeed,  Bee- 
thoven is  often  termed  so.  We  saw  him  the 
exponent  of  that  remarkable  shock  given  to 
men's  minds  by  the  French  Revolution,  which 
affected  staid  statesmen  as  well  as  sensitive 
poets  in  verse  and  in  tone.  There  was  a  violent 
awakening  from  the  peaceful,  childlike,  playful 
writing  of  sonatas  for  tht  salon.  Men  were  forced 
to  be  serious.  This  suggests  one  of  the  sahent 
qualities  of  the  Romantic  which  Novalis  ig- 
nores and  Spitta  at  most  may  imply  in  his  ele- 
ment of  realism.  It  is  that  in  the  Romantic, 
external  beauty  of  form  and  outline  is  over- 

*  If  Schubert  had  in  any  measure  dethroned  Beethoven 
(not  to  impute   to   him   iconoclastic  motives),  he  would 
have  become  the  supreme  classic. 
i86 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

shadowed  by  the  urgent  intensity  of  mere  emo- 
tional content.  This  might  be  called  a  rebel- 
lion of  realism  against  formalism,  but  with 
great  caution.  The  realism  is  of  feeling,  of 
inner  meaning,  and  this  formalism  implies  no 
slur  on  real  beauty  of  form,  which  is  an  indis- 
pensable symptom  and  test  of  true  feeling. 

After  all,  is  not  every  master's  youth  strik- 
ingly his  Romantic  age,  when  he  reacts  against 
the  formal  dominance  of  his  predecessor  ?  Later 
he  himself  matures ;  his  form  corresponds  to 
his  new  meaning;  in  turn  he  becomes,  in  his 
very  pre-eminence,  blighting  to  younger  poets. 
In  Schubert's  earlier  works,  especially  for  piano, 
we  see  a  flight  from  the  tyranny  of  sonata- 
formality,*  we  see  neglect  of  structural  regu- 
larity and  beauty  of  proportion  for  the  sake  of 
some  stray  nugget  of  golden  melody,  or  of 
lesser  figure  or  turn.  It  was  again  an  emphasis 
on  inner  content  as  against  outer  symmetry. 
Later,  Schubert  undoubtedly  approached  a  finer 
unconscious  proportion  between  feeling  and 
utterance.     But  he  neither  lived  nor  wrought 


*  Of  course,  this  was  unconscious   again,  for  he  wrote 
naany  "  Sonatas." 

187 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

long  enough  to  become  in  his  turn  a  top-heavy 
master  of  musical  ceremony.  And  we  must 
not  forget — we  shall  be  reminded  of  it  later — 
his  final  absorption  and  mastery  of  the  sym- 
phony ;  most  significant,  whether  in  the  view 
of  Schubert  the  master,  or  of  the  Symphony, 
as  perennial  channel  of  pure  tonal  poetry. 

In  the  typical  Romantic  reaction  there  is 
necessarily  less  of  the  repose  which  conduces 
to  homogeneous,  finished  treatment,  with  a 
certain  conscious  stress  on  its  own  beauty.  In 
the  Romantic  there  is  the  new  emotion  or  idea 
which  burdens  the  mind,  drives  it  to  a  more 
definite  utterance  at  all  hazards,  at  the  expense 
of  conventional  precept.  With  the  true  mas- 
ter this  leads  to  wrenching  and  bursting  the 
fetters  of  tradition  without  real  violation  of 
fundamental  artistic  principle,  without  actual 
formal  weakness.  Form  in  the  abstract  must 
never  be  confused  with  concrete  conventional 
forms.  But  with  less  than  complete  mastery, 
its  special  strength  which  Romantic  inspira- 
tion imports  of  melodic  fulness  or  power  of 
intimate  definite  utterance,  almost  inevitably 
involves  some  weakness  in  outline,  in  develop- 
ment, in  discussion.     We  have  here,  unint«;n- 

i88 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

tionally,  come  upon  a  striking  shortcoming 
of  Schubert.  But  this  weakness  which  shines 
through  six  or  seven  insignificant  symphonies, 
which  nearly  neutrahzes  the  glorious  melody 
of  many  piano  works,  was  finally  conquered 
in  the  achievement  of  two  symphonies,  that 
may  fitly  and  fairly  rank  with  Beethoven's  nine. 

But  we  were  thinking,  in  the  Romantic  re- 
action of  highest  mastery,  of  Beethoven.  With 
him  it  was  a  cosmic  movement.  With  Schu- 
bert and  Weber  the  feeling  was  rather  a  na- 
tional one,  and  it  is  so  expressed  in  the  new 
quality  of  their  melody.  Beethoven's  melodic 
scope  was  larger ;  his  most  potent  means  lay  in 
profound  power  of  treatment  and  discussion. 

The  national  vein  of  Schubert  and  Weber 
expressed  a  state  of  things  which  is  now  his- 
toric. It  came  from  the  same  impulse  which 
stirred  the  first  beginnings  of  German  litera- 
ture in  a  Lessing,  a  Wieland,  a  Herder,  and  a 
Goethe,  culminating  in  the  united  burst  of 
nationalism  on  the  downfall  of  Napoleon. 
Indeed,  its  final  political  expression  is  but  an 
event  of  yesterday.  Music  suffered  under  a 
different  tyranny  from  the  French  influence  on 
German  literature.  There  it  was  the  Italian 
189 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

domination  (not  unlike  the  German  glamour 
to-day  in  America),  and,  through  the  Italian, 
of  the  revived  legends  and  heroes  of  Greek  and 
Roman  mythology.  Mozart,  in  Don  Giovanni, 
at  last  left  the  tiresome  procession  of  shadowy 
Greeks,  who  had  filled  all  early  opera ;  as  did 
Beethoven  in  Fidelio.  But  neither  had  the 
courage'  to  write  a  pure  German  name.  The 
strong  sense  for  reality  of  sentiment  and  for 
dramatic  truth  in  these  operas  does  not  consti- 
tute a  distinct  reaction ;  the  tendency  is  too 
gradual.  The  Romantic  rebellion  came  in 
Weber.  He  boldly  threw  over  the  Welsh 
suzerainty.  Everything  is  freshly  Teutonic, — 
language,  titles,  legends,  characters. 

But  language,  titles,  legends,  heroes  do  not 
concern  us  in  pure  music.  The  question  is  of 
melody.  No  one  can  deny  the  Italian  quality 
lingering  in  Mozart ;  the  achievement  in  Bee- 
thoven of  a  more  catholic  or  cosmic  strain ; 
finally,  in  Schubert  and  Weber,  the  full  blos- 
soming of  German  lyric  song  in  music,  as  with 
Goethe  in  verse.  All  this  applies  most  directly 
to  Schubert's  Lieder.  His  realm,  where  he  was 
long  supreme,  is  the  German  folk-song,  as  against 

the  Italian  Aria  of  earlier  opera.     It  seems  that 
190 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Schubert,  with  all  his  personal  genius,  came  at 
the  mathematical  point  of  time  to  voice  in 
song  the  unuttered  German  national  feeling. 

But  the  German  quality  of  Schubert  goes  far 
deeper.  And  here  we  cannot  escape  the  ques- 
tion how  far  the  symphony  is  dependent  upon 
the  folk-song.  I  can  see  no  other  answer  than 
an  immediate  relation, — one  that  tends  to  mark 
the  limits  of  original  creation  in  art.  In  this 
sense,  Goethe  did  not  create  his  lyrics,  nor  did 
Burns.  Neither  invented  the  form,  the  metre 
of  their  song.  They  simply  wrote  in  the 
manner  of  their  own  national  folk-song.  Thus 
each  new  lyric  is  but  a  variation  on  some  old 
fundamental  type. 

In  music  this  national  quality  is  equally  es- 
sential and  pervasive.  The  symphony,  as  a 
group  of  great  utterances  in  high  art,  can  be 
sifted  to  a  discussion  of  a  few  melodies  or 
themes.  All  else  is  in  a  sense  subsidiary. 
The  theme  is  the  substance,  the  text.  Thus 
the  bearing  of  folk-song  on  the  greatest  mas- 
terpieces is  clearly  all-important.  (The  mean- 
ing of  such  a  relation  for  Americans  is  signifi- 
cant ;   we  may  return  to  it  later.)     We  have 

treated  above,  as  we  describe  below  in  detail, 
191 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

how  Schubert  expressed  in  his  symphonies  a 
feeling  which  had  a  strong  relation  to  a  spirit 
in  German  poetry  and  philosophy. 

Far  the  most  important  trait  of  Schubert's 
career  is  what  seems  his  moral  evolution 
through  mastery  of  the  symphony.  And  here 
appears  a  wonderful,  an  entrancing,  and  a  pro- 
foundly Important  mystery  in  the  relation  of 
art  and  ethics.  Schubert  was  gifted  with  the 
talent  which  made  sustained  utterance  in 
rounded,  perfect,  unconscious  outline  a  diffi- 
culty ;  so  he  was  morally  endowed  to  make 
most  difficult  a  certain  balance,  a  thorough- 
going completeness.  If  he  had  yielded  to  his 
weakness,  if  he  had  become  what  moderns  call 
a  degenerate,  he  would  have  followed  the  line 
of  least  resistance,  have  written  still  more  songs, 
have  perhaps  devised  some  new  shift  of  form, 
eminently  suited  to  his  capacities  and  defects. 
But  this  is  exactly  what  Schubert  did  not  do. 
He  struggled  through  seven  ineffective  sym- 
phonies, where  there  is  no  rounding  out  into 
unconscious  completeness,  where  the  melodic 
inspirations  are  not  justified.  But  he  did  not 
yield  in  the  double  fight, — of  artistic  and  moral 

self-realization.     And,  finally,  none  too  soon, 
192 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

he  achieved  the  double  victory.  In  March,  the 
C  Major  symphony  was  begun  ;  in  November 
Schubert  died.  This,  his  tenth  symphony,  is 
in  every  way  typical,  symbolic,  directly  elo- 
quent of  this  greatest  of  heroic  struggles,  which 
ought  to  come  to  every  man,  whereby  the  ar- 
tistic victory  becomes  an  expression  of  the 
moral,  and  whereby  the  corresponding  art-work 
has  perhaps,  as  its  greatest  value,  this  stamp  of 
ethical  achievement.  I  should  even  say  that, 
where  this  is  not  attained  in  artist  or  poet,  the 
art  or  poetry  cannot  be  of  permanent  value. 
Lacking  this  moral  stamp,  it  cannot  have  last- 
ing beauty ;  or  rather  in  converse  statement  the 
principle  is  more  clearly  borne  out.  And  this 
is  the  most  striking  value  of  Schubert's  career. 
All  this,  too,  must  bring  with  it  a  correction 
of  the  prevailing  monstrous  theory  that  genius 
involves  abnormality. 

Symphony^  B  Minor.     {Unfinished.) 

(Allegro  Moderate.     Andante  con  moto.) 

The   Unfinished   Symphony  is   equally  re- 
markable, whether  viewed  in  the  whole  litera- 
ture of  music,  or  merely  in  the  group  of  Schu- 
bert's works.     In  the  first  place,  it  is  not,  as 
13  193 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

might  be  thought,  his  last  work ;  it  is  in  no 
way  to  be  hkened  to  the  unfinished  romances 
of  great  novehsts.  Yet,  while  written  six  years 
before  the  end  of  his  short  career,  it  seems, 
with  perhaps  one  exception,  absolutely  his 
highest  level,  which  he  did  not  distantly  ap- 
proach for  a  long  time.  Then  it  is  somehow 
strangely  free  from  characteristic  defects  which 
troubled  Schubert  before  and  afterwards.  Nay, 
it  seems  marked  by  the  very  qualities  essential 
to  the  symphony  which  he  most  lacked  else- 
where ;  so  that,  of  all  his  nine  symphonies,  the 
unfinished,  and  the  last,  in  C  Major^  are  the 
only  ones  generally  performed. 

The  work  begins  in  a  way  like  nothing  save 
some  touches  of  Beethoven  (in  the  third  and 
in  the  seventh  symphonies),  where  the  bass 
mysteriously  foreshadows  the  melody.  It  is, 
after  all,  the  bass  to  which  you  must  look  for 
the  symphonic  quality.  Schubert's  lyric  lean- 
ing is  betrayed  by  a  too  frequent  tendency  to 
run  into  accompanied  melody.  But  here  Schu- 
bert, with  all  the  contrast,  shows  his  strong 
affinity  for  Beethoven.  We  cannot  put  him 
off  as  a  mere  lyricist.     The  legend-like  melody 

in  the  bass  strings: 

194 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

\^-'fT'  Allegro  ntoderato. 


25* 9- 


:^: 


5E3=3^ 


/p/3 


?r 


'(5'  • 


is  preparatory.  But  the  melody  is  too  subtle 
for  formal  statement.  First  comes  a  quivering 
in  the  strings  (with  rhythmic  bass),  where 
somewhere  an  indefinable  melody  is  hovering. 
But  presently,  like  a  royal  figure  after  his  noble 
precursors,  the  real  theme  sounds  high  and 
clear,  though  in  softest  tone,  in  the  woodwind : 


Strings. 


Oboe  and  Clarionet. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

while  the  herald-figures  lapse  into  attendants. 
Melodic  separation  seems,  somehow,  wrong. 
To  drop  theoretic  phraseology  for  once,  the 
whole  is  like  a  continuous  flow  of  melody 
where  each  phrase  seems  chief  until  it  pales 
before  its  successor. 

So,  after  some  overpowering  clashes,  which 
preserve  the  prevailing  tone  of  delicacy  and 
lightness  from  monotonous  sweetness,  there 
glides  in,  borne  by  the  cellos,  the  most  charm- 
ing melody  in  all  music  : 

Violas. 


J^M~E 


^t^ilziLLlLlZZZI U_J I -    I  L^*      V       V 


Basses,  pizz.  "^    "^ 

Melody  in  Cellos. 

->4>  A  -  i  i  J 


delicately  echoed  high  in  the  violins.  With 
all  its  perfect  melody,  and  the  softest  and  purest 
orchestration,  the  movement  is  full  of  romantic 
shocks  and  bursts,  as  if  the  essence  of  legendary 

poetry.     The  necessary  vigor  is  not  lacking, 

196 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


nor  the  true  relation  and  balance  of  dolce  and 
forte.  It  is  a  mistake  to  view  the  crashing 
chords  as  mere  interlude  between  the  verses ; 
they  are  quite  as  real  a  part  of  the  poem  as 
any  other.  But  with  all  the  beauty  of  the 
melodies  and  of  the  modulation  (which  was 
Schubert's  special  secret),  what  is  called  the 
development,  after  the  repeated  statement  of 
melodies,  is  somehow  perhaps  of  the  highest 
spontaneity,  although  just  here  we  might  ex- 
pect the  greatest  weakness. 

A  motive  from  the  first  phrase : 

Violins.  , 


4 


S 


-^U 


-m 


pp 


Fagot^^^nd  Violas. 


m 


i 


d: 


:tt^ 


=5^ 


§^- 


treated  in  canon,  rises  to  a  dramatic  climax  in 
which,  added  to  the  dynamic  effect,  is  an  over- 
powering surprise  of  modulation.  Again  and 
again  the  tempest  seems  about  to  subside  into 

the  enchantment  of  the  second  melody,  but 
197 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

each  time  it  rises  to  a  new  height.  Now  the 
whole  orchestra  sound  the  answering  phrase  in 
unison ;  then  with  the  motive  in  the  basses,  the 
strings  accompanying  in  tremolo  figure,  a  wild 
perversion  of  their  original  melody,  the  whole 
orchestra  thunders  and  storms  in  mad  tossing 
about  of  the  motive,  where  the  secret  of 
counterpoint  is  unconsciously  invoked  for  the 
most  dramatic  of  passages.  Suddenly  we  are 
in  the  delicate,  mysterious  atmosphere  of  the 
first  melody,  and  so  on  through  the  second, 
with  a  final  repetition  of  the  original  bass  fig- 
ure to  the  end.  \  The  whole  is  the  final  essence 
of  romance,  the  feeling  of  Arabian  tales,  with 
quick,  sharp  succession  of  happenings,  good 
and  ill,  with  no  room  for  prosaic  reflection.   ' 

The  Andante  begins  more  quietly,  but  it  is  in 
the  same  vein.  At  the  outset  there  is  the  same 
melodic  bass : 

Andante  con  moto. 


PP 

Basses  an  octave  lower. 

presaging  the  melody  in  the  strings : 
198 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Strings  (with  melody  doubled  above). 


Indeed,  the  very  quality  of  the  tonal  change 
of  scene  is  characteristic  of  Schubert's  modu- 
lation. Throughout,  the  duet  between  the 
active  staccato  bass  figure  and  the  quiet  gliding 
of  the  violins  is  sustained.  Perhaps  it  is  its 
dainty  surprises  of  modulation  that  somewhat 
take  the  place  of  the  dynamics  in  the  Allegro. 
Yet  here  in  the  second  page  is  a  sudden  mar- 
tial sound  in  the  trebles,  with  a  noisy  lum- 
bering in  the  bass  like  the  tread  of  giants, 
suddenly  thinning  away  into  the  original 
pianissimo  melody.  The  whole  episode  of  the 
first  theme  departs  with  the  same  phrase  which 
introduced  it.  Equally  complete  is  that  of  the 
second.  Preceded  by  a  curiously  promising 
rhythm  in  the  strings,  the  clarionets  sing  a 
melody  so  simple  that  you  wonder  where  the 

charm  lies. 

199 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Quoting  will  not  show  it ;  the  secret  must 
be  in  large  part  in  the  accompanying  rhythm 
and  in  the  exquisite  turn  of  modulation.  In- 
deed, it  is  not  a  strict  melody  at  all,  but 
melodic  speech  which  might  go  on  as  long  as 
the  urging  rhythm  will  hold  out.  In  its  later 
career  it  develops  even  more  beauty,  so  that 
the  beginning  seems  mere  introduction.  Sud- 
denly the  vision — at  its  loveliest — is  rudely 
broken  by  loud  crashes,  where  we  lose  all 
sense  of  connection  with  the  past  until  we 
recognize  a  noisy  minor  of  the  basses,  which 
is  a  gloomy  memory  of  the  second  melody ; 
the  storm  rages  furiously,  but  in  a  trice  ends 
with  the  enchanting  rhythm  which  again 
promises  the  second  melody  in  its  true  guise, 
this  time  exquisitely  given  in  canon  duet  by 
cellos  and  violins.  Again  there  is  here  one  of 
the  highest  passages  in  all  music  ;  because  to 
all  his  genius  of  melody,  harmony,  modula- 
tion, and  rhythm,  Schubert  adds  the  uncon- 
scious mastery  of  counterpoint.  Quietly  the 
scene  glides  to  the  first  melody,  and  then,  as 
at  first,  through  the  various  phases,  gentle  and 
wild,  not  without  many  new  touches  with 
which  Schubert  never  fails  to  surprise. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

C  Major  Symphony. 

The  pervading  trait  of  this  greatest  of  Schu- 
bert's works  is  the  large  scale  of  its  design, 
and  with  this  a  certain  breadth  and  depth.  In- 
deed, not  only  does  it  seem  the  shallowest 
judgment  to  call  some  modern  work  the  tenth 
symphony,  so  clear  is  the  superiority  of  Schu- 
bert's last  to  all  its  successors,  I  am  even 
tempted  to  hold  that  in  a  still  higher  (and 
more  perilous)  ranking  of  masterpieces,  Schu- 
bert's C  Major  belongs  in  a  small  group  which 
would  not  contain  all  of  Beethoven's  sym- 
phonies. The  C  Major  is  certainly  far  superior 
to  Beethoven's  Pastoral,  not  to  go  further. 

So  complete  is  this  unity  in  Schubert's  sym- 
phony, a  unity  transparent  in  its  very  breadth 
and  depth  and  continuous  purpose,  that  the  first 
movement,  with  all  its  dimensions  and  supreme 
perfection  of  form,  seems  like  a  great  fanfare^ 
prelude  to  the  rest. 

The  movement  itself  begins  with  a  prologue, 
Andante,  in  a  curious  prophetic  way  (like  the 
Impromptu  for  piano  in  C  Minor),  without 
charm  of  rhythm  or  wealth  of  harmony,  alone 
in  solemn  horns : 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Andante. 


i 


i 


ji 


-f— H 1 ^ 1 \-^. 1- 


^ 


t) 


^-t 


p 


Horns. 


IS 


^ 


■=t 


W^=^- 


-^ 


-zi- 


^' 


X 


pp\ 


As  the  strain  is  taken  up  by  others,  and  the 
strings  sing  an  answer  in  many-voiced  hymn, 
it  is  hke  an  invocation.  Soon  there  is  a  loud 
confident  chorus  in  the  original  strain.  Then 
a  dainty  answering  melody  from  the  oboe,  with 
strange  irruptions  on   the  gentle  song  by  the 


Woodwind. 


Tutti  (with  Drums). 


P 


r^~T 


g 


rTr 


TfTf 


ff 


p 


-•— f2- 


rp 


Strings. 


whole  orchestra,   ever  and  again   in  eccentric 
alternation, — a  kind  of  refusal  to  be  committed 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

to  either  humor.  The  echoes,  continuing 
through  gray  changes  of  tonal  color,  finally 
break  into  a  clear  melodious  ^lose  in  the  origi- 
nal key ;  slowly  the  prophetic  atmosphere 
changes  to  one  of  joyful  confidence.  The  first 
phrase  is  sung  by  the  woodwind,  with  new 
movement  in  accompanying  strings.  The 
whole  has  some  of  that  promise  of  coming 
rhythm  which  we  saw  in  the  prelude  of  the 
Seventh  Symphony,  and  a  similar  gradual 
gathering  of  all  to  join  in  the  great  dance  of 
the  Allegro.  There  seemed  to  be  in  Beethoven 
and  Schubert  in  the  beginning  of  their  sym- 
phonies a  common  feeling  of  solemn  dedi- 
cation to  high  purpose,  which  broke  gently 
and  with  increasing  momentum  into  exuberant 
song. 

Suddenly  there  is  a  burst  into  that  indefinite 
joyousness,  just  like  the  Finale  of  Beethoven's 
Fifth  in  its  vague  and  boisterous  turbulence. 
The  literal  mind  must  have  its  concrete  tradi- 
tions. It  is  uneasy  without  the  official  themes. 
Otherwise,  there  is  too  much  barbaric  high 
spirits.  Indeed,  this  work  is  to  some  sympho- 
nies, above  all  to  the  Unfinished,  what  certain 

scenery  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  is  to  other 
203 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


of  the  Italian  Alps.     You  must  view  it  more 
broadly,  with  larger  angle  of  sight. 

Here  the  noisy  strum  of  the  strings  comes 
from  an  earlier  phrase,  alternating  with  a  swell- 
ing vibration  of  the  woodwind  and  horns : 

Allegro  ma  non  troppo. 


J  Fagots 

Strings  doubled  above 


Horns. 


Strings  doubled, 
as  before. ' 


and  below. 

But  the  only  definite  mood   is  just   at  the 
close,  whence  more  light  and  more  delight  are 

Woodwind  (doubled  above) ;  Bass  and  Drums. 


SiEtiiilsEE^ 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


i 


3:^=^ 


^- 


S 


/^ 


i 


-z 


rr 


shed  on  the  rehearsing  of  earlier  melody.  On 
goes  the  constant  motion  of  the  original  strain 
in  the  strings,  with  continual  breaking  in  of  the 
jolly  twittering  of  woodwind  and  horns,  with 


-^ — --- 


5 


ff 


Strings  doubled  above. 


i: 


I.  J 


:*t 


i-      ii.      i 


Hjp: 


^ 


Woodwind. 


m 


laiiA 


f^ 


205 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


answering  trunnpet-calls,  which  increase  in 
vehemence,  with  an  occasional  descent  into 
melody.     Then   back   to   the  main   rhythmic 


E 


r 


ff 


itz: 


itz: 


=^ 


:i== 


?5|- 


m 


:t: 


strain,  when  suddenly  a  new  tune,  with  strange 

Oboes,  doubled  below  in  Fagots ;  Brass  sustaining  the  harmony. 

31 


Strings 


* 


J 


/' N 


3 


bzNiid^ 


¥ 


nrt 


2o6 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


swing  and  accent,  is  heard  in  the  oboes  and 
fagots.  It  is  immediately  taken  up  by  flutes 
and  clarionets  in  higher  pitch.  Then  both 
groups  fight  for  the  word,  shouting  and  an- 
swering back.  Later  there  is  a  new  accent  in 
whimsical  humor. 

Once  in  a  certain  swinging  pace  of  answering 
strains,  with  occasional  intrusion  of  chord  or 
cadence  from  the  whole  chorus,  and  of  straying 
through  cycles  of  tonal  scenery,  there  seems  to 
be  no  end,  as  if  all  time  were  before  us, — what 
made  Schumann  speak  of  the  "heavenly  length." 
At  last,  before  returning  to  the  beginning,  we 
enter  on  a  broad,  sweeping,  universal  cadence, 
where  the  strings  give  the  support  of  quivering 
rhythm.  Thrice  the  phrase  is  sung,  each  time 
with  greater  emphasis ;  the  last,  ascending  to 

the  highest  summit,  is  absolutely  conclusive : 
207 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Full  Orchestra. 

Violins  vibrating  in  unison  with  the  respective  wind-parts  ; 
Fagots  doubling  the  melody  below. 


i 


-i   ^^ 


^i 


-t- 


P- 


^r" 


i  i 


^ 


^ 


4  ^ 


E: 


^oj-j  doubled  below. 


•^    1^- 


J  . 


i    A       ^ 


N^^ 


1 


i  4 


j2. 

'»~~ 


£ 


i    i  i   J.ii ^ 


tJ 


js. 


-)2- 
J 


J 


J 


i=E^ss3^ 


an 


il 


2o8 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


4. 


il    ^     i 


I  think  there  is  no  mistaking  a  Hungarian 
flavor  in  the  second  melody.  This  rhythmic 
touch  of  the  Slavonic  constantly  appears,  as 
elsewhere  in  Schubert.  It  serves  to  lend  a 
greater  breadth  to  the  Teutonic  vein ;  it  helps 
us  unconsciously  to  transcend  the  limits  of  mere 
national  feeling. 

Sometimes  there  seems  to  be  a  characteristic 
tendency  towards  extension  instead  of  depth. 
But  in  reality  we  have  both ;  there  is  surely  no 
lack  of  the  maze  of  discoursing  themes.  In 
the  discussion  proper,  which  begins  after  repeated 
singing  of  melodies,  there  is  at  first  a  predomi- 
nance of  the  Hungarian  elfish  (second)  melody, 
with  an  added  touch  of  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream  through  Mendelssohn  eyes. 

But  the  rhythm  of  the  first  melody  constantly 
209 


14 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Oboes,  doubled  above  in  Flutes. 


^ 


P 


^^^^^W 


i-. 


S 


^£^^^£^ 


strings  with  lower  bass-note. 


:?=i;=t 


rmTLLTTT^Ti: 


Oboes  and  Clarionets  (joined  by  Fagots  below). 


tt 


liEl 


Strings. 


F'^^ffi^Irg: 


intrudes  in  the  strings,  always  alternating  with 
the  strain  of  the  elves  through  magic  changes 
of  light.    But  the  rougher  rhythm  is  reinforced, 


Violins  and  Violas. 


=^=f 


:^ 


.M^4 


S^ 


p 


^0m 


^ 


P^^i" 


t 


^ 


4z 


m^' 


'^ 


Cellos  and  Basses. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


striding  up  and  down  in  contrary  motion,  each 
way  in  double  ranks,  until  with  its  multitudinous 
movement  it  seems  to  triumph,  although  the 
daintier  rhythm  is  never  lost.  On  through  all 
sorts  of  lights  and  shades  of  tonal  landscape, 
into  a  series  of  delicious  suspended  discords  (of 
which  Schumann  later  learned  the  special  trick), 
while  the  rough  motion  of  the  first  theme  is 
drawn  out  in  length  until  against  the  various 
dance  of  the  rest  the  bass  in  strings  and  brass  is 
solemnly  sounding  its  legend : 


=1: 


±^ 


-u- 


N- 


-bgi- 


■ff  Doubled  above  and  below. 

In  a  sudden  lull  from  the  resounding  chorus 
the  same  series  of  exquisite  discords  is  heard 
most  lightly,  with  melodious  question  and  an- 
swer between  voices  in  woodwind  and  strings : 

Flutes. 
Violins  sustained  by  Clarionets. 


P  Cellos  and  Fagots. 

211 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

SI  u 


Cellos  and  Basses. 


Finally,  again  the  lower  strings,  joined  later  by 
higher  clarionets,  sing  the  solemn  chant  against 
quivering  violins,    in    a    cadence  whence   the 


Fagots  sustaining  the  harmony. 


3  3  3  3 


e 


^ 


pp 


fz 


f' 


■&. 


T 


Doubled  above  and  below. 


J.J.  j.    j.^J.        ij^i    ij.  JL 


original  song  of  melodies  is  rehearsed  to  the 
end.  It  is  all  quite  the  same  as  at  first,  but 
magnified  and  heightened  in  the  brilliancy  of 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

responsive  song  of  tunes,  in  the  mad  abandon 
of  movement ;  above  all  in  the  wonderful  play 
of  what  musicians  call  modulation,  of  tonal 
color,  like  the  magician's  dazzling  change  of 
chromatic  light.  All  is  the  same  except  the 
last  word,  best  of  all.  Where  we  expect  the 
final  chord,  the  whole  chorus  break  in  confident, 
joyful  tone  into  the  melody  of  the  invocation. 
Somehow,  timidity,  questioning,  is  gone.  With 
the  clear  assurance  of  its  rounded  close,  it  is  no 
longer  Invocation ;  it  is  the  Fulfilment. 

Andante  con  Moto. 

At  last  Schubert's  long  restrained  melody 
has  a  vent.  As  the  Allegro  was  all  vague 
motion,  this  is  pure,  continuous  melody, — one 
golden  fabric. 

To  "  explain"  this  lyric  gem  seems  imperti- 
nent for  two  opposite  reasons, — its  simplicity 
and  its  mystery.  It  is  the  typical  paradox  of 
the  master  himself.  There  is,  throughout,  the 
puzzling  blending  of  lightest  humor  with 
deep  meaning.  At  the  outset  it  seems  clearly 
a  restrained  dance.  But  there  is  no  escaping 
the  sense  of  secret  meaning,  as  in  Beethoven's 

Allegretto  of  the  seventh  symphony,  and  espe- 
213 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


cially  in  these  first  six  bars,  where,  similarly,  the 
tuneful  bass  foreshadows  the  coming  melody : 


i 


Andante  con  nioto. 
Strings. 


2: 


ffi3 


i? 


^m 


s 


itrtri;^ 


^^^ 


-it-  -»e 


-t^' 


Q^ 


WEi 


T^  -*|-  -*- 


Tiffi^ 


-it-  -at-  -*   -^ 


Then  to  the  same  sprightly  step  comes  the 
song  of  principal  melody  by  oboe ; 

Oboe.         .... 


i 


a&33 


n 


s 


|l£_f 


Strings. 


m 


-=i— *- 


:i:^?: 


rnt 


TTT 


214 


3E^ 


r^- 


iHf 


|3-?^ 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


5=ffi=jJ 


IVifh  sustaining  Fagots  and  Horns. 


If  we  cared  to  analyze  more  technically,  we 
could  see  how  the  mixture  of  minor  mood 
with  sprightly  gait  helps  the  mystery.  But, 
usually,  in  groping  for  ingredients,  in  tearing 
apart  the  rose-petals,  the  main  fragrance  is 
lost. 

But  the  curious  impersonal  quality  of  the 
melody  is  seen  by  contrast  in  the  little  con- 
cluding strain  in  friendly  major,  with  a  clear, 
sudden  touch  of  human  feeling.     Again,  it  is 

like  the  Trio  in  the  Beethoven  Allegretto : 
215 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Oboe. 
5? 


Strings. 


gfcjri^ 


^psip: 


r 


But  in  the  next  boisterous  blast  of  the  whole 
band  and  in  the  striding  of  strings  in  mock 
heroic  dignity,  there  is  no  doubt  the  childhke, 

TUTTI. 


=^^=_^SQ=i 


S— 1^!- 


i-Vi-  . 


m^^^_ 


% 


-^■ 


-^ 


playful  humor,  pure  fun,  whence,  through 
warning  signs  to  hold  our  faces,  we  return  to 
the  serious  beauty  of  the  first  melody.  Still, 
it  is  now  not  the  first  song  in  doubling  duet ; 


216 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


but  there  is  the  daintiest  interplay  between  the 
phrases  of  gentlest  mockery : 


Oboe  and  Clarionet. 


Strings. 


.— t— t — T— T- 


—f 


'In  octaves. 


T 


^    -.-    4 


? 


How  wonderful  is  the  versatile  power  of 
music  for  mirroring  humor.  Could  any  words, 
spoken  or  written,  possibly  approach  remotely 
its  delicate  changes?  Here,  while  the  boisterous 
merriment  is  so  apparent,  yet,  after  these  four 
accented  warning  £'j,  with  all  the  delicious 
lightness  of  fancy,  there  is  not  a  touch  of 
Teuton  fun.  It  is  all  Oriental  fantasy.  Those 
phases  move  through  various  contrasting  rounds 
until  a  third  mood  is  upon  us.  Again  there 
is  no  doubt  of  the  meaning.  And,  again,  it  is 
what  we  had  thought  a  special  Schumann  feel- 
ing.    It  is,  too,  a  good  instance  of  the  way  the 

greatest  masters  are  constantly  using  the  simplest 
217 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

themes, — the   proverbial    union    of   simplicity 
with  highest  art. 

Nothing  is  more  natural  than  this  descent  of 
four  notes.  To  be  sure,  the  preliminary  step 
of  the  bass  down  two  full  tones  has  much  to 
do  with  it  all. 


Flutes  and 
Oboes. 


m 


Horns  and 


£^^ 


Clarionets.  jOp  \ 


Violins. 


Fagots. 


f^ 


Violas. 


rt 


r  r  r 


SiE^ 


Cellos  and 
Fagots. 


Cellos  and  Basses. 


Now  all  mystery  of  spirit  land  is  absolutely 
gone.  Here  is  an  intimate,  human  dialogue, — 
unler  vier  Augen,  as  the  Germans  say ;  and  the 


218 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


little  endings,   always   recurring   like  repeated 
friendly  greetings,  with  assurance  of  good-will : 


Woodwind  doubled  above. 


'-■^^E^^ 


P 


r 


,_W««-J2«- 


jg— T  r  b/ 


1 — r 


^ 


i 


f 


But  immediately  with  the  descent  into  minor, 
there  is  the  momentary  slight  transition  to  the 
hazier  realm.  For  the  mom.ent  there  is  a  refuge 
in  a  playful  strain,  hiding  the  head  in  ostrich 
fashion.    Then  through  curiously  repeated  warn- 


Clarionet  and  Fagot  below. 


^^^P* 


Oboe. 

^ 


^iF^tii^ 


-t± 


f-^ 


PP  Strings. 
tr 


J-^- 


Jl 


£ 


J-l 


^ 


£ 


:^- 


5 


£ 


ing   notes   held   unchanged,    through    shifting 
harmonic    scenery,  in    the   horns,    heralds   of 


219 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


legends,  we  are  back  in  another  canto  of  our 
Arabian  fairy  story. 

Now  to  the  original  mysterious  melody  of 
oboe  is  added  in  horns  and  trumpets,  later  in 
violins,  a  still  lighter  playfulness.  It  is  a  little 
like  a  child  playing  in  the  midst  of  danger, — 
Media  in  vita,  etc. : 


Oboe. 


a^i 


The  side  tunes  grow  ever  more  melodious. 
So  again  come  the  other  phases,  similarly  en- 
riched. When  next  the  humorous  episode 
comes  round,  with  the  sudden  noisy  burst  and 
the  strutting  of  strings,  it  is  much  extended. 
The  woodwind  in  a  minor  blast  seems  to  have 
a  difference  of  opinion  with  the  strings  in  the 
major.  All  through  there  is  the  evident  ten- 
dency to  amplify,  to  repeat,  to  hold  the  floor : 
inevitably  the  old  Schubert  trick  of  talking  for 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


an  inspiration.  There  are  strange  strokes  of  the 
whole  orchestra  in  unison,  alternating  with  an 
ominous  chord,  which  interrupt  the  merry  skip- 
ping up  and  down : 

X 


V 


3^ 


Strings  and  Wood. 


Brass  and  Wood. 


/I 
Strings  doubled  above. 


Strings  doubled  below. 

This  continues  in  almost  pure  iteration,  with 
hardly  perceptible  variation,  always  with  inter- 
rupting chords  arresting  the  skipping  move- 
ment, until  we  feel  ourselves  unexpectedly  rush- 
ing somewhere,  with  increasing  violence,  at  last 
leaping  furiously  on  a  final  height. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


And  here  is  again  that  best  of  all,  that  golden 
nugget.  We  knew  it  would  come  if  Schubert 
would  hold  on,  like  the  angler  playing  patiently 
for  his  trout.  Of  a  sudden,  out  of  the  wild, 
insistent  chord  of  mad  questioning,  after  a 
complete  pause,  comes  a  transformation  of 
scene  or  mood.  Instinctively  we  feel  we  must 
not  inqilire  into  the  magic  of  the  master.  A 
sudden  change  of  tonal  color,  whose  like  is 
nowhere  in  music,  brings  a  new  strain  in  the 


pizz. 


Octave  lower. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

cellos  on  a  former  subject  in  simplest  con- 
fidence. 

There  was  a  subtle  way  of  transition  by 
smallest  step  as  through  secret  spring ;  the 
slighter  the  outer  change  or  journey,  the  greater 
the  transformation.  No  one  knew  this  secret 
spring  save  Schubert ;  with  him  it  died. 

The  first  time,  the  close  is  in  dreamily 
mournful  minor ;  the  second,  with  the  same 
confiding  song,  the  close  is  the  clearest  reas- 
surance of  serene  major,  whence  we  continue 
directly  into  another  verse  in  the  friendly  strain 
of  the  second  melody,  with  its  artless,  homely 
phrase. 

A  keen  man  of  literary  power  has  suggested, 

among  his  friends,  a  classing  of  composers  in 

some  such  way  as  :   1st,  The  Prophet ;  2d,  The 

Counsellor;  3d,  The  Friend;  4th,  The  Tempter. 

It  is  exactly  true.     And  we  are  reminded  of  it 

by  the  analogous  variety  of  relation   in   one 

master.     Clearly  Schubert  has  at  first  more  of 

the  impersonal  seer,  even  stern  monitor,  and 

then   quickly   glides  into  friendliest,   soothing 

speech.     So  comes  again  the  momentary  strain 

of  playfulness ;  again  the  warning  herald  notes 

in  the  horn  of  the  final  verse  of  the  fanciful 
223 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

legend.  There  is  now  a  curious  chariness  in 
ornament  and  rhythm,  a  halting  in  the  last 
words,  as  if  to  add  a  certain  insistent  sincerity. 
The  dance  has  almost  ceased.  It  is  no  longer 
the  child  playing  in  the  lightning.  It  is  more 
reflective,  with  a  fine  little  envoi,  a  minor  mem- 
ory of  an  old  strain.  With  kindly  humor,  it 
marched  up  the  hill — and  down  again : 


Oboe  (joined  by  Clarionet  and  Flute). 


Strings  {pizzicato). 


?lJ 


1^4 


^^^ 


n 


^ 


^ 


- — 5—^ 

m 


224 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Scherzo^  Allegro  Vivace. 
We  are  so  accustomed  to  humor  in  words 
that  it  is  difficult  to  think  of  its  utterance 
through  another  medium.  To  some,  I  suppose, 
humor  in  music  is  almost  incredible.  To  dis- 
cuss such  a  question  is  to  be  drawn  into  an 
endless  perambulation,  losing  our  way  utterly 
from  the  central  purpose.  The  trouble  lies  largely 
in  the  scope  of  the  word  humor.  Sometimes 
it  does  seem  that,  while  for  the  expression  of 
feeling  music  is  far  the  most  powerful  of  the 
arts,  humorous  utterance  is  easiest  in  prose. 
But  here  it  would  become  necessary  to  distin- 
guish elements  of  humor,  or  at  least  different 
kinds,  where  the  danger  of  straying  looms 
greater  than  ever.  It  may  not  be  too  broad  to 
say  that  when  humor  is  largely  compact  of 
light,  merry  sentiment,  music  is  still  the  more 
natural  medium.  Much  of  the  humor  we  are 
accustomed  to,  seems  largely  a  game,  with  a 
jumbling  together  of  concrete  things,  where 
by  accident  a  striking  contrast  results.  There 
is  much  more  of  chance  here  than  of  original, 
creative  feeling.  It  necessarily  lies  out  of  the 
bounds  of  music,  which  has  naught  to  do  with 
visible  realities. 

15  225 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Humor,  as  in  a  conventional  sense,  the  rut 
of  common  minds,  is  no  more  important  than 
a  meaningless  game ;  in  another  sense  it  may 
need  the  highest  power  of  human  thought  and 
utterance. 

The  instinct  for  surprise,  for  sudden  contrast 
of  opposites,  has  certainly  a  free  field  in  music. 
The  very  first  of  the  secular  masters,  Haydn, 
was  eminently  a  humorist.  I  have  seen  a 
musical  child  laugh  involuntarily  over  a  Haydn 
scherzo.  Beethoven's  humor  we  have  studied. 
It  was  not  altogether  amusing.  It  is  that  rare 
compounding  of  serious  latent  purpose  with 
the  show  of  lightness.  It  is  not  cynical ;  for  a 
warped,  a  hopeless  sentiment  cannot  be  uttered 
in  high  art.  If  it  could,  Offenbach  would  be 
a  classic.  Sardonic  it  can  fairly  be  called ;  and 
thus  music  again  shows  a  distinction  of  feeling 
more  clearly  than  any  words.  Between  the 
qualities  of  humor  of  Beethoven  and  of  Offen- 
bach, not  to  speak  at  all  of  the  strength,  is  an 
infinite  gulf.  Sinister,  even,  Beethoven  appears 
often.  But  it  is  all,  like  other  universal  minds, 
like  Aristophanes,  like  Cervantes,  like  Shake- 
speare, it  is  discoursing,  in  apparent  play,  on  the 

highest  themes.     It  is  in  central  purpose  neither 
226 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

light  nor  despondent.  The  frivolous  dance  in 
the  seventh  symphony  is  really  a  cosmic  joy ; 
the  temporary  gloom  of  the  fifth  makes  the 
final  triumph  all  the  brighter. 

We  cannot  pretend  that  Schubert  has  herein 
any  similarity  to  Beethoven.  Nor  can  it  be 
said  that  Schubert  had  striking  humor ;  we 
should  not  call  him  humorist.  He  had  not 
the  keen  power  of  conjuring  strange  oppo- 
sites ;  the  comic  was  not  his  favorite  element. 
He  was  not  disciplined  in  its  special  expres- 
sion. So  it  seems  his  scherzo  mood  lapses 
into  mere  merriment,  not  sharply  distinct  from 
other  allegro  feeling  save  perhaps  in  its  irre- 
sponsible lightness : 

Scherzo. 
Allegro  vivace. 


-4  4  •  4  •  4 


Strings. 
Doubled  beloiv  in  two  octaves. 


This  theme  of  the  scherzo  strikes  us,  in 
its  unison,  with  a  certain  clownish  heaviness, 
lightly  answered  in  the  woodwind,  with  playful 

drums  beating  clumsily  at  the  theme  : 

227 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Oboes 


It  rushes  with  headlong  speed  to  a  cUmax  in 
a  cousin  key,  whence,  while  clarionets  and 
fagots  are  still  chattering  away  at  the  theme, 
the  violins  and  cellos  have  a  duet  in  a  melody 
where  play  is  more  blended  with  romance. 
But  again  the  boisterous  spirit  dominates.  Its 
further  career,  the  bass  ponderously  dancing  to 
the  quick  theme,  seems  all  committed  to  noisy 
motion,  when  suddenly  the  elf  feeling,  wjiich 
gleamed  here  and  there  in  the  first  movement, 
dances  forth  alone  from  the  earlier  turbulence :' 


Fagots  and  Violas. 


228 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


lOfc^ 


^ 


Wr- 


u 


-i 


5 


fe 


I     Cellos. 


Strings. 


^, 


J=^ 


^ 


Doubled  above. 


3tEj=i& 


fei       ^ 


u 


ifc:±r:*r5^ 


ffiffi" 


^ 


And  so  through  jolly  mocking  of  piping, 
laughing  wood  and  buzzing  strings.  All  at 
once  the  latter  have  dwindled  to  strumming  of 
dance  beat,  and  the  flute  sings  aloft:  a  clear. 

Woodwind. 


^P 


— \y 


^ 


e 


*=£ 


=fet=j 


Strings,  witk  initial  beat  in  basses. 
229 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

gentle  song,  and  in  a  new  scene  in  the  forest, 
by  one  of  those  unpremeditated  tone  changes 
of  the  poet's. 

And  now  the  same  song  is  heard  in  another 
corner  of  the  wood,  from  the  oboe,  but  more 
boisterously,  until  the  dance  can  no  longer  be 
restrained,  and  the  old  fun  breaks  out  much 
more  freely  and  stormily  than  before.  With 
the  Titanic  horse-play  there  is  the  sharp  alter- 
nation of  daintiest  talk  of  sprites,  mostly  of 
violins,  each   having  his   say  in    turn   in    the 


iS3lI_I 


phrase,  ending  the  scherzo  much  in  the  original 

burst.      In   the    Trio^   though   it   is   still   more 

clearly  not  humorous,  we  have  surely  gained 

more  than  we  have  lost.     A  poet  cannot  be 

held  down  to  cracking  iokes  at  certain  fixed 

seasons.     There  is   something  finer  here  than 

subtlest  jesting.    And  who  shall  say  it  does  not 

belong  in  a  scherzo  ?    The  first  impression  is  of 

tie  double  charm  of  an  eternal,  joyous  swinat 
230 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

and  a  clear,  simple  song.  It  is  one  of  those 
places  where  we  suddenly  hear  human  singing 
in  the  orchestra.  In  every  way  there  is  con- 
trast with  the  preceding, — in  the  gentle  gliding, 
in  the  sweet  simplicity  of  the  song,  in  every 
way  save  one ;  though  we  cannot  clearly  see. 
Somehow,  the  rate  of  movement  is  exactly 
the  same  as  before,  under  different  guise.  The 
charm  of  the  constant,  swinging,  sweeping 
motion,  of  greatest  speed  with  least  show  of 
effort,  is  indescribable, — like  the  march  of  a 
big  Niagara,  like  the  planets  themselves.  Dis- 
tinct from  the  song,  the  swinging  pace  is 
double,  the  even  gliding  phrase  of  violins,  ever 
ending  with  the  skip  of  the  brass.  Or  rather 
it  is  the  constant  mingling  of  two  distinct 
paces,  the  glide  and  the  skip,  where  now  one, 
now  the  other  is  in  relief,  according  to  the 
ear  of  the  hearer.  One  supplies  the  continuous 
element  of  perennial  go,  the  other  gives  the 
perpetual  fillip  of  new  impulse.  And  in  united 
woodwind,  blending  the  various  motion  is  the 
broad  sweep  of  the  great  universal  love-song, 
too  big  for  fragmental  discussion,  pouring  out 
verse  after  verse,  a  stream  of  purest  melody, 

without  economy  of  themal  logic  : 
231 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Woodwind  (doubled  above). 


4 1 


^^■''~^^dd  -St 


?3 


i 


^ 


?5 


y  Brass. 


-^ 


ii 


S 


J 


■A^ 


^ 


T 


i 


=^=^ 


Strings. 


rr 


-a- 


^-j^^ 


?f 


^^ 


t=^ 


^ 


t^ gCT 


i?    1 


^ 


J 


fi 


ij — r 


t 


^—^-^ 


u 


^   y    s 


And   with   this  faithful  accompaniment  of 
motion  the  song  continues : 


«=r 


:5^ 


t^ 


^ 


=P^ 


f 


*i=Js 


::si 


-zsh 


Then  off  into  the  minor,  always  with  the 

loyal  satellites,  with  the  same  sweep,  and  with 
232 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

all  the  events  of  a  song,  surprises  of  tonal 
color,  of  closes  that  do  not  end,  of  those 
special  intimate  asides  of  Schubert's : 


Woodwind. 


» 


s^i t-l 


t-i? 


ii^ 


-^■~—i 


:i=^=? 


■al— d — # 


:*=*—#: 


P 


=feM; 


ji 


? 


-«-<-* 


Ml 


-^^— =1- 


^ 


^fc^ffi 


"Strings. 


_ 


:*=5=J=i: 


^E^: 


=r 


i    i    i^ 


^ 


3!=^=j. 


^-1 


-^— 


■i^ 


¥= 


^-^-^ 


frt 


-*- 


^ 


^ 


si 


:^»=i^ 


^E 


St- 


T- 


•j  ».  * 


^^b 


f 


tU- 


>33 


? 


r 


i 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Here  a  broader  swing  than  ever  bursts  forth : 

Woodwind,  doubled  above  and  below. 

!4t-    ^        I  _     I 


^g^ 


/ 

Earlier  double  rhythm  in  strings  and  brass. 


^ 


all  with  pervading  completeness  and  perennial 
freshness,  that  is  hopeless  to  suggest  without 
full  quotation.  Always  the  dainty  reserve  and 
the  broad  pealing  forth,  each  inviting  the  other 
in  turn.  There  seems  no  reason  why  it  should 
end,  except  that  all  things  end.  In  all  this 
never  varying  continuity  of  subsidiary  motion, 
and  the  constant  swing  of  the  song,  changing 
only  in  its  own  burden,  there  is  a  great  sense 
of  freedom  from  restraint  and  co'mmotion. 

Never  before  or  since  has  a  master  so  ignored 
the  element  of  discussion.  We  feel  we  have 
reached  an  empyrean  of  lyric  song  which  is 
above  all  mystery,  above  even  questioning  and 
the  need  of  discourse.  The  fall  to  the  scherzo 
is  almost  that  of  the  proverb, — certainly  from 
the  sublime  to  the  humorous. 
234 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Finale^  Allegro  Vivace. 

We  have  followed  the  symphony  so  far,  say- 
ing little  of  a  general  plan.  It  is  perhaps  less 
apparent  than  in  the  great  Beethoven  poems, 
the  Eroica,  the  Fifth  and  Seventh  Symphonies. 
But  while  we  might  easily  have  guessed  a  gen- 
eral meaning  earlier,  it  is,  after  all,  our  rule  to 
cloud  the  evidence  of  the  music  itself  as  little 
as  possible  with  our  own  preconception, — 
rather  to  have  the  pervading  quality  break 
upon  us  unwitting,  convincing  us  with  the 
reinforced  evidence  from  all  regions  of  the 
work. 

But  inevitably  the  first  sounds  of  the  Finale 
bring  us  back  to  the  broad  scale  of  the  begin- 
ning.    It   is  the   same   vague   carelessness  of 


Finale. 

Allegro  vivace. 


:=2=i; 


Tutti.ff 


-(22- 


p  Strings. 


1st  ending. 


ff 


Doubled  above  and  two  octaves  below. 
235 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


t 


2d  ending. 


W- 


T=^ 


f^ 


^^~i 


--#— j-# « 


Strings. 


T^3— r 


g^^^EH-i 


m 


^?=i=p- 


=|i=^^ 


^a 


£•££= 


P^P 


?=^ 


^c;. 


£ 


articulate  tune  ;  fearlessness  of  endless  iteration 

of  an   expressive  strain ;   a  perpetual  go ;   an 

ever-impelling   drive   that   knows   no    rest ;   a 

vagueness  of  utterance  for  its  own  sake. 

The  first  approach  to  definite  phrase  (strange 

how  in  defined  expression  there  is  at  once  a 

descent  from  the  very  joy  we  are  uttering  I)  is 

in  the  oboes,  doubled  by  fagots  below,  while 

the  violins  keep  up  the  ceaseless  flow  of  motion, 

and  the  basses  and  the  horns  give  the  motive 

impulse,    adding    something    of    the    pulsing 

rhythm  of  the  Trio  : 

236 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Strings   (the  melody  played  in  quarter-notes  by  Oboes, 
and  Fagots  below). 


t^^ 


Most  of  the  charm  must  lie  in  the  sense  of 
endless,  pleasant  motion,  like  the  first  railroad 
journey  or  ocean  voyage.  And,  as  in  the 
Trio^  the  accompanying  movement  once  estab- 
lished, the  song  sweeps  freely  along,  singing  its 
burden,  without  heed  of  other  voices : 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

soaring  boldly  into  higher  and  still  higher 
flights,  and  ever  the  unceasing  rush  of  cours- 
ing violins  and  pelting  horns  until  there  is  an 
unheard  of,  overpowering  momentum.  Sud- 
denly we  are  in  the  first  phrase,  with  answering 
cadences,  whence  we  find  ourselves  in  episodes 
of  sheer  drive : 


Woodwind  (doubled  below). 

42. 


/z  /z  N 

Strings  (doubled  above  and  below). 


The  profound  discourse  of  polyphony,  even 
the  lyric  distinctness  of  melody,  are  all  forgotten 
in  this  onward,  restless,  and  ceaseless  coursing. 
At  most,  there  are  some  such  answering  strains 
as  that  which  immediately  follows  the  last 
quoted  phrase.  Oft  reiterated  are  these  pound- 
ing passages  of  pure,  rushing  rhythm  all  carried 
to  a  furious  climax,  where  the  wind  hold  a  long 
238 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Woodwind  (doubled  an  octave  above  and  below). 


.                ^n 

1 

'^       ^ 

(f-^ 

-^=^' 

-fc 

-^^0^ 

Brass. 

-f2 

'-^ — 

^    fU 

-\ — 
■A 

--^^g^ 

-/^ 

1 


Strings  (doubled  an  octave  above  and  below). 

I v^ 


:^«=^ 


W 


r 


/^ 


1^^ 


chord,  while  strings  and  drums  are  exhausting 
their  momentum  on  the  simplest  figure,  ending 
abruptly  in  a  crash : 


i 


irff 


Doubled  twice  below. 


After  a  lull,  during  which  you  can  almost 
hear  the  drive  as  you  see  the  sun  with  closed 


239 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

eyes,  suddenly  here  is  the  melodic  germ,  the 
heart  of  the  movement,  always  sure  to  come, 
like  gold  to  the  miner,  after  those  long  ham- 
merings of  Schubert.  It  is  a  miniature  of 
the  old  gigantic  thumping,  as  of  shadowy 
imps.  But  the  grace  is  rarer  than  before,  and, 
above  all,  here,  out  of  the  four  long  notes, 
a  song  j5roceeds,  clear  and  human  : 

Oboes  and  Clarionets 
Clarionets.  (doubled  below  in  Fagots). 


Cei.los  and  Basses. 


-A^ 


^=¥- 


--z3~--zi<L 


H: 


f 


p — 51 — it 


i 


240 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


h=i=^^ 


m^f 


'S 


r 


fE^^M 


m^ 


st^ 


J JTa 


^ 


t- 


t: 


T 


^ 


All  the  pent-up  vagueness  has  found  speech, 
in  which  it  glories,  exults,  revels,  first  timidly- 
whispering,  then  with  involuntary  burst,  retiring 
again  into  almost  inaudible  recesses  and  hidden 
scenes ;  suddenly  breaking  forth  into  clear  light 
with  glad  presence,  with  unrestrained  shouts, 
and  all  supported  with  this  irresistible  dance. 
Indeed,  we  cannot  let  it  go.  When  the  poet 
returns  to  the  older,  stifFer  movement,  we  cry 
out  for  the  gladder  step,  as  for  a  native  element, 
and — we  get  it.  Just  those  four  hammering 
notes  with  the  clattering  course.  And  we  are 
happy  in  the  mere  motion,  in  all  guises,  higher 
and  higher ;  now  thundering  near  by,  now  hum- 
ming far  off, — at  last  with  a  seeming  end  in  the 
broad  cadence,  while  the  violins  are  vibrating 

Woodwind  and  Brass  (doubled  above  and  below). 


f 


241 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

to  the  same  tune  and  the  low  horns  and  strings 
are  holding  up  the  harmony.  But  instead  of 
ending,  the  latter  basses  are  shouting  out  the 
tune  a  little  varied,  while  the  others  are  not  so 


i 


Doubled  below. 

important,  diminishing  in  violence  and  repeating 
more  softly,  while  the  high  woodwind  soon 
take  courage  and  join  the  tune  in  piping  pitch. 
But  soon  we  are  in  a  mere  vague  hum  of  the 
low  strings,  while  some  wood  and  brass  notes 
are  hopping  faintly  at  the  old  dance.*  And  thus 
dying  down  to  a  murmur,  we  are  willing  to 
wake  suddenly  and,  returning  to  the  beginning, 
go  through  the  glad  frolic  again.  When  that 
is  over  we  sit  down  and  think  it  over.  We  can 
now  be  a  little  reflective.  So  we  toss  the  fine 
tune,  now  our  own  by  long  search,  about  here 
and  there,  while  movement  is  reduced  to  the 
least  shuffling  in  the  strings,  suggestive,  it  is 
true,  of  the  old  rhythm.    Very  softly,  in  a  new 

*  The  hearer  must  not  be   literal   nor  too  consistent. 
He  must  follow  about  with  quick  sympathy  of  insight. 
242 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


scenic  spot,  we  sing  the  song  and  quietly  add 
an  answering  strain : 

Clarionets. 


X> 


4- 


4=A 


^ 


^^m 


Strings. 


^ 


"i*  f  '  f ' 


^rrsiz 


ff'f 


^£E^  ~^:^^  r*-CJ^ 


Flutes 


i 


-J 


1^ 


-1   ^± 


i 


s^ 


-|2^ 


:ttK: 


i? 


at 


Oboes. 


dd'd 


±=±S 


-^-5-|J-5— 


^^S-;^ 


_..Jl 


r 


-•— ^ 


Octave  above  in  flutes,  below  in  fagots. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


The  whole  atmosphere  is  changed.  There  is 
a  shadowy  gloom  of  dv,epening  woods,  of 
coming  dusk.  The  air  is  cooler.  There  is  a 
half  sadness  of  reflection  as  bits  of  the  theme 
occur  here  and  there, — in  minor,  too,  in  con- 
fused, jumbling  comparison  with  others.  In  the 
dreaminess  the  dance  is  almost  gone.  But  soon 
a  new  energy  appears.  The  high  violins  sing 
the  melody  with  a  kind  of  trembling  anxious- 


St  RINGS. 


PP' 


^rf^ 


•4+F =f 1— W" •- 


^^^JP 


J"  T 


i 


-tl^ 


s 


#=^: 


-pr-.rj^ 


PF 


^p 


ness,    still    higher,    more    plaintively   and    in- 
sistently, the  wind  gradually  joining  in  sym- 


244 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


pathy,  finally,  almost  in  triumph.  And  now 
the  glorious  old  paean  sounds  out  in  basses  and 
brass  (giving  increased  assurance),  while  the 
rest  shout  in  fervent  acclaim  : 


Strings. 


fz  fz 

Basses  in  Strings  and  Brass. 

Tutti,  with  octave  below. 


fz 


i 


fz\    J: 


£ 


S 


ff 


lis: 


:t: 


f 


Here  it  is  one  long  triumphal  procession. 
Nothing  can  describe  the  terrible  magnificence 
of  this  elemental  dance.  The  very  ground 
under  us  is  rocking  to  the  rhythm,  not  to 
speak  of  the  increasing  maze  of  voices  singing 

245 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  answering  phrases  in  disjointed  confusion. 
When  at  its  height,  the  cellos  are  discovered 
very  softly  but  firmly  sustaining  the  marching 
song,  while  the  violins  are  mockingly  strut- 
ting about ;  oboes  and  fagots  are  gently  sing- 
ing a  new  melody  in  unconscious  harmony 
with  the  rest.  The  only  ominous  figures  are 
the  drums  beating  softly  and  continuously. 
They  soon  betray  their  purpose,  when,  first 
faintly,  then    more   insistently,  the    motive  is 


f^ 


=^ 


heard  summoning  all  gradually  back,  trooping 
more  and  more  tumultuously,  once  again  to 
the  original  chorus ; 


TuUi,     Oboes  (with  Fagots  below). 
doubled  above,  y 

^—'M — i — A — P- 


m 


Z) 


ff 


ZESL 


p-f' 


-\=--- 


Cellos.  Violi 
With  sus 


j(y. 


.:S»="- 


taining  Horns 


r— f-- 


±^. 


'^-i- 


Basses  and  Drums. 
246 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


^' 


*e?- 


^- 


-25*- 


^ 


t 


--^ 


The  final  refrain  of  the  old  order  of  melodies 
is  in  the  usual  broad  spirit.  The  first  smooth 
melody  of  the  woodwind  is  often  rehearsed  in 
minor,  to  ascend  the  more  joyfully  into  corre- 
sponding major.  After  all  the  prelude  and 
actual  entrance  of  the  great  phrase  of  childlike 
triumph,  there  is  the  loud  singing  of  the  smooth 
melody  in  the  basses,  again  dying  down  to  a 
lull.  But  from  here  on  it  is  little  more  than 
ever  eager  cries  of  the  great  melody,  in  first  part 
and  second.  Towards  the  end,  the  former 
comes  in  four  mighty  thumps  in  sheer  hard 
unison  tones  (almost  unmusical),  followed  by 
four  chords  shouting  in  answer, — question  and 
answer  recurring  again  and  again,  lapsing  at  last 
into  the  broad  cadence.  Then  the  whole  sym- 
phony ends  in  the  trumpet  calls  which  begin 
the  last  Allegro,  and  in  the  spirit  of  fanfare 

which  began  and  pervades  the  whole. 

247 


VIII 

SCHUMANN 

It  is  a  most  interesting  question  just  what 
and  where  is  the  greatest  work  of  any  poet 
or  musician,  and  it  is,  of  course,  closely  akin 
to  the  secret,  perhaps  unfathomable,  of  Art 
itself 

We  are  apt  to  fall  into  a  rather  palpable 
error ;  to  confound  greatness  in  dimensions  with 
greatness  in  substance  ;  to  think  that  the  longest 
works,  or  those  on  the  largest  scale,  or  those  on 
which  the  poet  has  most  toiled,  or  of  which  he 
was  most  ambitious,  are  necessarily  his  master- 
pieces. We  have  all  heard  the  famous  advice 
to  destroy  whatever  seems  in  the  writing  most 
happy. 

The  question  is,  it  seems,  much  more  subtle 
than  has  been  supposed.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  just  as  some  men,  very  like  others  in  most 
respects,  perhaps  in  many  inferior,  for  hidden 
reasons  will  utter  thoughts  infinitely  more  valu- 
able to  the  world,  just  so  the  same  man,  for 
248 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

reasons  occult  to  himself,  will  at  times  be  a 
prophet,  at  others  a  bore.  Much  of  Schubert, 
much  of  Beethoven,  is  not  the  real  Schubert,  is 
not  the  real  Beethoven.  Perhaps  it  all  comes 
back,  after  all,  to  the  quality  we  have  so  often 
given  stress, — unconsciousness.  It  is  the  strange, 
almost  contradictory  element  of  tonal  art  in 
particular.  It  seems  that  the  best  of  man's 
thought  is  uttered  when  he  is  not  watching 
himself;  that  no  man  can  work  his  highest, 
with  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  existing  con- 
ditions of  his  art ;  so  that  it  seems  almost  true 
advice  to  a  poet  to  reject  his  own  judgment. 
There  seems  to  be  a  secret  magic  in  the  lack  of 
conscious  deliberation.  Yet,  we  are  asked, 
Where  is  then  our  art^  our  hard  achieved  mas- 
tery, if  we  are  not  to  use  it  as  resource  in  our 
design  ?  The  answer  comes  with  inevitable 
iteration ;  all  this  past  struggle  and  mastery  has 
full  weight,  but  only  as  unconscious  resource, 
as  experience  rather  than  study.  So  there  is  no 
advice  here  to  dispense  with  toil,  to  shout  forth 
our  first  wild  emotion,  without  care  of  clear 
and  true  expression ;  for  the  more  we  toil  in 
reverent  pursuit  of  our  art,  the  more  powerful 

we  are  for  unpremeditated  utterance.     It  is,  on 
249 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  contrary,  the  one  who  lacks  the  patience  for 
mastery,  who  fails  in  this  respect  to  his  art,  that 
is  most  often  driven  to  deliberate  calculation 
and  padding  labor.  It  is  the  early  discipline 
that,  never  relaxed,  produces  the  perfect  mastery 
of  language,  which  is  indispensable  for  true 
spontaneity.  The  element  of  work,  which 
must  enter  into  all  art,  at  first  was  toil,  later 
is  forgotten  in  the  joy  of  utterance.  While 
founded  on  this  hidden  basis  of  early  apprentice- 
ship, a  true  art  work  must  spring  from  an  invol- 
untary feeling,  must  not  be  too  compact  of 
conscious  care. 

It  is  thus  an  absorbing  question :  Where  is 
the  greatest  Schumann  ?  It  seems,  sometimes, 
that  his  genius  did  not  find  perfect  content  in 
the  forms  hallowed  by  the  highest  art  before 
him ;  that  he  may  have  turned  to  them  in  a 
spirit  of  challenge,  to  show  his  mettle.  To 
show  the  maze  of  such  a  problem, — it  is  quite 
possible  to  hold  that  whole  passages  of  his 
symphonies  are  more  beautiful  than  any  of  his 
shorter  works,  and  yet  that,  as  a  whole,  the 
latter  may  be  superior.  There  is  a  tremendous 
responsibility  about  large  dimensions  ;  so  that  a 

long  episode  of  the  greatest  perfection  may  be 
250 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

actually  neutralized  by  failure  in  proportion 
and  relation  of  the  rest. 

Schumann's  was  a  poet  nature  of  the  sharpest 
individuality,  yet,  withal,  so  deep  and  versatile, 
that  we  have  no  sooner  found  the  typical  trait 
than  we  seem  to  see  it  with  equal  truth  in  each 
of  several  other  qualities.  One  of  the  most 
striking  is  his  power  of  definite  characterization. 
Of  course,  the  mention  of  such  a  thing  brings 
us  back  to  the  old  question  of  the  purpose  of 
the  art.  And  it  suggests  the  query  whether,  if 
feeling  be  constantly  refined  to  an  ever  more 
delicate  shade,  the  final  result  will  be  as  clear  as 
the  verbal  thought.  Only  we  must  never  forget 
that  the  mere  outward  significance,  the  guessing 
of  the  word-title,  is  of  no  value  in  itself. 

After  the  climax  of  the  classic  masters,  there 
seems  to  have  been  a  tendency  towards  explor- 
ing the  limits  of  the  power  of  music  to  specialize 
a  "  meaning."  Direct  utterance  of  simple  feel- 
ing yielded  to  this  dazzling  experiment.  Berlioz 
is  probably  the  most  typical  representative  of 
this  tendency;  yet  how  simple  seems  the  refu- 
tation of  his  own  labels  which  he  would  inter- 
sperse through  the  pages.     Opera  was  given  a 

new  impulse.     It  is  most  grateful  to  find  in 
251 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Schumann  just  the  right  perception  of  this 
power  of  music ;  and  it  is  interesting  to  see 
how  his  nature  and  his  training  led  to  the  dis- 
tinguishing quahty  of  his  poetry. 

Schumann  and  A^Iendelssohn  were  the  first 
of  the  masters  born  and  bred  in  a  social  class 
whose  main  function  was  not  the  service  of 
another ;  to  whom  education  and  culture  were 
their  own  right  and  need.  So  Schumann  was 
early  steeped  in  poetry ;  more  so,  indeed,  than 
in  music.  And  his  mind,  thus  inclined  towards 
a  more  reflective  art,  was  confirmed  in  this 
direction  by  a  course,  however  irregular,  in  juris- 
prudence. The  taste  for  meditation  is  hard  to 
abandon.  In  music  its  effect  was  to  lead  men 
to  prefer  to  explore  hidden  recesses  of  thought 
and  of  special  sentiment,  national,  legendary, 
or  local,  rather  than  to  utter  naive  bursts  of 
untitled  feeling.  It  is  not  until  our  day,  of 
Brahms  in  particular,  that  we  have  returned  to 
the  more  natural  attitude. 

Schumann  was  the  first  master  who  had  the 

distinction   not  to  be  an   infant  phenomenon. 

The  most  wonderful   musical  feat  told  of  his 

youth  was  a  mimicry  of  friends  at  the  piano ; 

and  it  is  characteristic,  too,  of  his  later  genius. 
252 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

There  was  here  an  early  temptation  to  translate 
ideas  into  music.  The  boy's  channels  of  influ- 
ence were  literary ;  it  was  thus  that  impressions 
came  to  him.  Music  was  not  his  first  native 
element  in  which  he  lived,  breathed,  listened, 
and  spoke  unconsciously.  He  received  in  verse 
and  gave  out  in  tones.  It  seems  that  this 
habit  found  a  strong  introspective  quality  in 
his  nature  to  build  upon. 

It  cannot  be  difficult  to  see  his  aims  by 
sympathetic  intuition.  To  educated  men  the 
feeling  for  logical  thought  is  almost  the  stay  of 
life.  To  abandon  it  is  like  selling  the  soul.  It 
is  here  that  religion  so  often  fails  to  hold  the 
most  honest  minds.  But  a  generation  or  two 
ago  this  leaning  on  the  saving  grace  of  reason 
was  stronger  far  than  to-day.  The  further  we 
go  from  the  mediaeval  sway  of  deductive  phi- 
losophers, the  less  faith  we  have  in  the  final 
power  of  mere  reasoned  knowledge  to  win 
salvation.  Modern  science,  equally  in  its 
achievements  and  in  its  disappointments,  has 
changed  us.  We  have  certainly  become  more 
agnostic,  and  we  have  been  led  beyond  the  true 
line  by  riotous  fads  and  follies  in  all  the  arts, 
by  abandonment  of  ethical  and  artistic  ideals. 
253 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

We  have  gone  far  astray,  forgetting  that,  while 
deductive  reasoning  can  never  give  original  or 
final  truth  of  itself,  it  is,  yet,  the  only  sure  way 
to  arrive  from  one  truth  to  its  successor.  Indeed, 
the  virtue  lies  not  in  the  logic  of  words,  but 
goes  back  to  the  saving  principle  of  true  sequence. 
It  is  this  word,  more  perhaps  than  any  other, 
which  tells  the  supreme  achievement  of  Schu- 
mann, He  felt  unconsciously  bound  to  add  to 
the  honor  of  his  art  in  thus  increasing  her  power 
of  clear  utterance.  It  is  even  now  the  common 
charge  we  hear  brought  against  music  by  those 
who  are  rather  proud  of  their  ignorance,  that 
music  means  nothing,  is  therefore  a  mere  matter 
of  the  senses.  Every  musician,  until  he  sees 
the  truth,  must  feel  the  sting.  But  the  fact  is 
that  in  its  own  perfect  sequence  lies  the  clearest 
test  of  the  truth  of  its  thought  and  utterance, 
— more  clear  far  than  the  test  of  logic  text- 
book. It  is  in  the  perfect  mastery  of  the  art  in 
all  its  lines,  of  melodic  phrase,  of  combined 
agreement  of  several  strains,  of  the  rounding 
out  of  the  whole,  in  the  verification  of  per- 
fect beauty  of  the  complete  art  work,  that  lies 
the  security  for  real  truth.  For  this  mastery  of 
the  language  gives  the  power  of  uttering  honest 
254 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

feeling ;  indeed,  the  connection  is  double,  for 
the  mastery  itself  is  based  originally  on  the 
fundamental  honesty  of  artistic  purpose. 

It  is  the  inner  perfection  of  workmanship, 
not  the  outer  evidence  of  signs  and  labels,  that 
bears  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  tonal  art, 

Schumann  can  be  seen  striving  in  all  kinds 
of  ways  for  this  hidden  power  of  music.  One 
was  a  curious  device  of  themes  from  the  musical 
letters  of  names  of  special  significance.  For 
instance,  almost  all  the  scenes  of  the  "  Carnival" 
are  based  on  notes  which  represent  the  musical 
letters  of  his  own  name,  S  c  h  a.  They  hap- 
pened to  be  the  same  as  those  of  the  town 
Asch^  which  at  one  time  had  a  romantic  mean- 
ing for  Schumann.  Thus,  by  the  German 
nomenclature,  Asch  would  be  yf,  Es  (Etz),  C, 
^  (B) : 


A  splendid  example  of  this  sort  of  musical 
punning  are  the  inspiring  fugues  on  the  name 
Bach.  Sometimes  this  seems  a  mere  unimpor- 
tant amusement ;  at  others  it  betrays  an  un- 
doubted sense  of  symbolism.  Another  view, 
255 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

which  at  once  answers  two  separate  needs  of 
Schumann's  nature,  is  that,  however  unimportant 
the  themes  are  in  themselves,  the  stress  is  laid 
on  their  treatment.  In  other  words,  no  matter 
what  your  theme,  you  can  talk  about  it  musi- 
cally. Thus  we  can  talk  about  Bach  and 
others  in  music.  It  must  be  admitted,  of 
course,  ,that  there  is  here  too  little  importance 
of  its  own  beauty  allowed  to  the  theme.  Yet 
all  the  more  genius  and  power  of  sequential 
thought  is  required  in  this  discussion.  And 
this  element  of  discussion,  extended  greatly 
even  beyond  Beethoven,  explored  vast  fields  in 
the  power  of  music  for  more  definite  signifi- 
cance. It  is  best  to  regard  all  this  writing  as 
experimental  in  the  possibilities  of  themal  de- 
velopment. 

Of  much  higher  dignity  are  those  poems 
of  musical  characterization  like  the  Children's 
Scenes  and  the  Forest  Scenes,  where  he  con- 
jures up  in  simplest  touclies  the  quintessence, 
not  of  the  outward  situation  or  event,  but  of 
the  peculiar  feeling  which  enshrouds  them. 
The  superficial  critic,  who  speaks  too  quickly, 
says,  "Of  what  use  are  the  titles,  if  the  music 

tells  the  story?"'     He  cannot  forget  that  the 
256 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

mere  conjecture  of  the  particular  title  in  the 
poet's  mind  is  of  no  gain.  The  music  is  not  a 
picture  of  this  and  of  nothing  else.  There  is  a 
feeling  here  uttered  which  is  certainly  associated 
with  this  situation,  in  however  many  others  it 
may  also  reside.  The  feeling  is  all  we  care  for. 
Rather  pertinent  here  is  Beethoven's  experience 
in  the  Pastoral  Symphony.  It  is  well  known 
how  at  first  he  directed  the  reader  to  find  the 
situations  for  himself  But  on  completion,  he 
gave  precise  labels  everywhere,  and  added, 
"Rather  an  expression  of  feeling  than  a  pic- 
ture." The  poet  is  bound  to  help  us  to  this 
enjoyment  by  telling  us  all  he  knows ;  it  is  not 
a  guessing  match.  In  agreement  with  this  is 
Schumann's  own  admission  that  he  always 
wrote  the  title  after  composition.  He  never 
set  out  deliberately  to  translate  a  certain  sub- 
ject into  tonal  language.  It  was  undoubtedly 
in  this  mood  and  with  this  equipment  that 
Schumann  wrote  his  songs,  which,  independent 
of  their  wealth  of  beauty  and  depth  of  senti- 
ment, came  to  the  world  as  absolutely  new  con- 
ceptions of  the  power  of  music  to  mirror  the 
particular  emotional  significance  of  the  words. 
But  these   are  relatively  the  less   important 

17  257 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

elements  of  Schumann's  art,  though  to  discuss 
them  thus  categorically  is  to  ignore  the  insepa- 
rable totality  with  which  they  express  his  genius. 
So  when  we  have  spoken  of  his  sense  of  sequence 
in  music,  we  have  said  but  little  unless  we  take 
into  account  some  of  the  strongest  influences 
of  his  youth.  In  the  fore  of  these  must  be 
placed  the  great  German  prose-poet,  Jean  Paul 
Richter.  So  direct  and  overwhelming  was  his 
power  over  Schumann's  thought,  that  one 
might  almost  say,  Who  does  not  know  Jean 
Paul,  does  not  know  Schumann.  Undoubtedly, 
reading  the  former  throws  the  brightest  light 
upon  the  intent  of  the  latter. 

In  Jean  Paul  we  feel  the  sole  prominence  of 
pure  sentiment,  the  ruthless,  almost  cynical 
subordination  of  everything  material ;  the  ex- 
travagant contempt  of  facts,  of  objective  per- 
sonalities, of  events,  of  plot,  in  riotous  revel  of 
unalloyed  feeling.  Then  we  remember  the 
sudden  succession  of  humor  and  pathos,  all 
part  of  this  plan  of  revolt  from  the  tyranny  of 
concrete  externals ;  and,  too,  we  know  that 
with  all  this  whim  of  sudden  change  there  is 
not  only  no  lack  of  connection,  on  the  con- 
trary, there  is  in  the  very  contrast  o(  emotions 
258 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

and  in  the  freedom  from  hostile  realities  of  out- 
ward sense,  the  closest  continuity,  one  unbroken 
fibre  of  emotional  experience. 

It  seems  as  if  Schumann  was  almost  con- 
scious of  his  mission  as  the  Jean  Paul  of  music. 
The  nature  of  his  art  left  him  free  from  the 
intrusion  of  the  world  of  concrete  sense.  This 
influence  of  Jean  Paul's  strikingly  reinforced 
Schumann's  other  tendency  towards  musical 
meaning  and  sequence.  It  gave  him  a  peculiar 
power  of  consecutive  musical  thought,  a  sense 
of  development  quite  beyond  that  of  Beethoven, 
although  in  his  path.  The  theme  being  relegated 
to  mere  text,  all  vital  stress  was  laid  on  the 
following  out  of  the  emotional  thread  wherever 
it  may  lead.  Wedded  to  this  power  was  an 
intensity  of  abandon  to  an  absolute  subjective 
emotion  (utterly  reckless  of  a  conventional 
world),  which  bears  most  indubitably  the 
stamp  of  sincerity  beyond  even  the  faintest 
suspicion  of  conscious  attempt  to  please.  Thus 
lost  in  the  concentration  of  his  emotion,  he 
gives  its  essence,  turning  music  away  from  its 
supposed  vocation  of  mere  beauty  to  the  most 
powerful  utterance  of  high  feeling,  becoming 
almost  definite  by  this  very  intensity. 
259 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

The  most  direct  examples  here  are  the 
Novelettes,  which  are  not  only  greatest  among 
Schumann's  works,  but  of  the  greatest  of  all 
piano  literature.  By  this  wonderful  threading 
of  the  theme,  and  by  these  magic  contrasts  of 
feeling,  there  is  the  clearest  sequence  of  narrative, 
so  that  you  can  almost  read  off  the  story.  At 
any  rate?  you  have  the  same  essential  gain, — all 
but  the  dry,  dead  weight  of  facts  and  names. 
For  the  very  pleasure  of  reading  a  story,  I 
should  turn  as  eagerly  to  Schumann's  Novel- 
ettes as  to  any  prose-writing.  And  then  it  is 
always  equally  fresh,  with  ever  new  changes  of 
unimportant  details.  It  is  not  at  all  the  mere 
tempest  of  on-rushing  drive  in  one  theme ;  the 
best  is  always  some  sudden  exquisite  phase  of 
new  tender  feeling,  that  by  its  contrast  shows 
the  closest  continuity.  There  is  probably  no 
work  in  all  the  literature  of  music  so  aptly 
named  as  Schumann's  Novelettes. 

The  only  other  influence  to  be  compared 
with  that  of  Jean  Paul's  was  one  within  the 
domain  of  his  own  art.  To  be  sure,  there 
can  be  traced  in  Schumann's  works  more  or 
less  pervading  traces  of  several  musical  person- 
alities. Schubert  is  very  distinct  in  the  intimate 
260 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

touches,  the  naivete  of  melodic  flow,  the  sur- 
prises of  modulation.  But  it  seems  that  one 
other  master  affected  not  merely  Schumann's 
style,  but,  more  deeply,  his  mode  of  musical 
thought.  And  with  him  we  come  to  what  bids 
fair  to  be  a  perennial  mystery  in  musical  litera- 
ture. The  posthumous  career  of  Bach's  in- 
fluence is  not  only  striking  as  a  type  of  the 
final  triumph  in  art  of  the  good,  by  its  inherent 
power;  it  must  appeal  to  us,  alone  from  its 
dramatic  pathos.  To  our  modem  democracy, 
it  seems  that  all  salvation  for  the  artist,  all  true 
and  final  judgment  must  ultimately  lie  with 
that  awful  tribunal,  the  people,  quite  without 
regard  to  its  capacity,  not  of  judging,  but 
merely  of  understanding.  Thus  a  critic  in  a 
recent  book  *  actually  advises  the  musician  to 
bow  to  the  triumph  of  the  composer  who  has 
conquered  "  his  quarter  of  the  globe,"  swallow- 
ing all  convictions  of  right.  Thus  it  does 
seem  that  the  greatest  danger  to  music  comes 
from  its  friends,  who  yield  a  certain  sacred  trust. 
With  them  the  old  ideal  of  truth,  of  right  in 
itself,  has  absolutely  ceased  to  inhabit  the  uni- 


*  Apthorp's  "  Musicians  and  Music-Lovers." 
261 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

verse.     The  only  result  can  be  a  mad,  vulgar 
scramble  for  the  nod  of  the  mob. 

Bach  stands  as  the  eternal  denial  of  all  this. 
When  the  rest  of  the  world  was  revelling  in 
the  delights  of  the  new  toy,  opera,  which  all 
but  upset  the  grave  beauty  of  church  music, 
which  drove  out  the  ideal  of  high  art,  and  left 
sensuous  melody  the  sole  usurper,  this  master 
quietly  wrote  his  German  oratorios,  his  organ 
music,  and  other  instrumental  forms  in  the 
spirit  of  the  high  art  of  strict  discipline,  all 
within  the  limits  of  a  German  province,  harassed 
by  the  worries  of  an  ill-paid  organist.  The 
true  value  of  Bach  is  still  enigmatic.  His 
is,  strangely,  a  rising  influence,  which  cannot 
even  now  be  justly  gauged.  There  seems  to  be 
no  doubt  that  in  his  peculiar  mastery  of  the  art 
he  is  not  only  highest  of  all,  but  he  is  almost 
incredible  in  the  achieved  power  of  his  equip- 
ment. But,  to  return  to  the  man,  to  show  the 
absolute  isolation  of  the  artist  from  the  applaud- 
ing crowd,  he  wrote  on  to  a  good  old  age  in  his 
modest  rut  of  outer  life,  with  a  family  of  twenty 
children  forming  probably  the  main  nucleus  of 
his  following,  and  then  died  and  was  forgotten. 

Let  the  modern  world  of  sudden  furore^  of  mad 
262 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

popular  judgment,  think  how  long  was  the  sleep 
of  his  spirit.  Just  one  hundred  years  after  the 
first  performance  of  his  great  work,  "  The  Pas- 
sion according  to  St.  Matthew,"  it  was  unearthed 
and  brought  to  light  and  living  sound  by  Men- 
delssohn. And  ever  since,  Bach's  power  has 
been  steadily  waxing, — only  over  the  minds  of 
musicians  and  masters,  never  with  the  people 
directly, — growing  absolutely  by  the  sole  force 
of  its  inherent  truth  and  nobility.  It  cannot 
down,  though  it  can  never,  in  its  nature,  be 
popular.  It  is  almost  like  a  decalogue  in  art. 
And  so,  be  it  fate,  or,  better,  the  force  of  truth 
direct,  there  is  preserved  the  work  of  this  giant 
hero,  who  single-handed  upheld  the  traditions 
of  highest  art  in  the  time  of  its  greatest  peril. 

It  seems  inevitable  that  this  influence  of 
Bach's  is  destined  to  be  borne  indirectly  through 
other  masters,  like  some  high  truth  of  Egyptian 
priesthood.  We  can  see  some  reason  for  this. 
The  forms  of  Bach's  writing  are,  save  one,  not 
adapted  to  popular  hearing  on  any  great  scale. 
Even  in  Germany,  it  is  probably  only  his  ora- 
torios, sung  in  church,  that  are  known  directly 
by  the  people.    And  it  seems  that  there  is  some 

limitation  here  in  Bach's  genius  itself,  although 

263 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

it  is  almost  profane  to  attempt  individual  judg- 
ment. But  by  the  nature  of  the  spirit  of  religious 
mystery  and  man's  self-effaced  devotion  that 
Bach  uttered,  he  was  driven  rather  to  an  altitude 
of  deep,  high  meditation  than  of  free  individual 
expression.  So  in  his  writings,  almost  paradoxi- 
cally, the  actual  total  effect  of  separate  works 
seems  less  important  than  the  quality  of  his 
musical  thought.  And  therefore  Bach  has  ever 
needed  a  mediator  for  his  final  assertion  ;  a  new 
master  who  will  reconcile  the  profound  vein  of 
his  thought  with  modern  ideas  of  art  forms. 
But  the  great  compensation,  we  might  say,  is 
that,  while  the  horizon  of  all  others  seems 
limited,  the  latent  power  of  Bach  seems  in  an 
unending  increase. 

The  paradox  of  Bach's  art  is  a  most  tempt- 
ing one ;  but  its  final  pursuit  does  not  belong 
here.  We  remember  how,  in  the  first  emer- 
gence of  music  from  the  school-days  in  the 
cloister,  there  was  a  period  of  utter  abandon 
from  meditation  to  exuberant  revel  of  individual 
feeling.  Bach's  art  came  before  all  this.  Later, 
the  crowning  masters  of  the  secular  epoch  sought 
a  return  to  the  profundity  of  the  early  cloister 

days.     But  even  in  Beethoven  this  was  never 

264 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

quite  attained.  There  is  always  a  great  differ- 
ence between  the  analytic  meditation  (what 
musicians  call  counterpoint)  of  Beethoven  and 
of  Bach.  There  is  lacking  a  certain  psycho- 
logical, introspective  quality.  After  all,  with  all 
the  later  complexity  of  Beethoven,  his  whole 
art  is  on  a  different  basis  from  that  of  Bach. 
It  is  originally  secular,  lyric,  monomelodic ; 
only  later  did  it  turn  towards  polyphony.  Bach 
was  meditative  to  the  core. 

While  Mendelssohn  brought  Bach's  works 
to  the  surface,  Schumann  was  the  great  master 
who  absorbed  his  spirit  and  thought.  Almost 
a  man,  Schumann  turned  to  Bach  as  the  highest 
artistic  oracle.  This  influence  throws  a  double 
light  on  each  master.  It  makes  Bach  clearer 
and  Schumann.  In  both  is  the  strong,  reflec- 
tive hue  of  thought,  and  the  polyphonic  mode 
of  expression.  In  Schumann's  symphony  we 
seem  almost  to  see  how  Bach  would  have  gone 
about  it.  It  might  be  said  that  as  Bach  is  the 
Religious  Meditator,  Schumann  is  the  Romantic 
Psychologist.  Just  one  example,  out  of  all 
this  mass  of  theoretic  speculation,  will  at  once 
give  proof  and  throw  light.     It  is  a  lightest 

touch,  but  I  believe  it  is  typical.    In  one  of  the 
265 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Forest  Scenes,  "  Lonely  Flowers,"  the  whole 
picture  is  the  literal  intertwining  of  two  slight 
graceful  themes.  Throughout  there  is  hardly 
a  note  that  is  not  of  individual  voice,  that  is 
not  what  the  wise  men  call  polyphonic.  It  is 
the  pure  Bach  art  applied,  almost  idealized,  in 
secular  poetry. 

It  is*  not  difficult  to  see  how  this  influence 
reinforced  a  native  trait  of  Schumann,  of  intro- 
spection that  was  sometimes  morbid.  But 
again  we  must  see  how  it  affected  merely  the 
process  of  thought,  not  the  outward  shape  of 
art  work.  Mendelssohn  followed  Bach  in  the 
external  outline.  It  could  not  be  expected  of 
Schumann.  He  wrote  no  oratorio,  no  organ 
sonata.  And  we  are  thus  brought  to  the  final 
and  the  paramount  view  of  Schumann's  art. 

Too  much  stress  cannot  be  laid  upon  the 
entire  difference  of  form  as  an  abstract  con- 
ception, as  an  element  of  art,  like  melody  or 
harmony,  and  forms  as  mere  conventional 
examples  of  the  other.  No  ideas  are  so  relent- 
lessly confused.  The  commonest  answer  to  the 
charge  that  a  musician  lacks  the  power  of  form 
is  to  decry  traditional  types  like  the  sonata  or 

the  symphony.     You  might  as  well  confine  the 

266 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

idea  of  dress  to  the  pantaloons.  It  is  utterly 
forgotten  that  form  is  a  quality  of  creative 
thought,  not  a  prescribed  law.  Musicians  other- 
wise of  the  soundest  will  constantly  tell  students 
that  the  recipe  of  composition  consists  simply 
in  the  filling  of  the  classic  moulds  with  original 
themes, — nothing  more.  The  fact  is  that  true 
form  is  absent  exactly  as  this  prescriptive  form 
is  present.  The  sonata  and  the  symphony  can 
live  on  only  as  long  as  poets  feel  their  exigence 
for  their  thought ;  they  will  die  as  soon  as  they 
are  obeyed  as  mere  authority. 

Schumann  in  the  respect  of  form  has  been 
much  misunderstood.  It  was  in  the  nature  of 
the  poetry  of  his  time  to  forsake  temporarily 
(for  its  own  sake)  the  great  models  of  the 
classics.  In  the  German  prose  literature  of  the 
day  is  seen  the  chaotic  impulse,  delighting  in 
disorder,  in  overthrowing  the  old,  in  chasing 
madly  after  some  butterfly  sentiment,  and  yet, 
in  all  the  loose  mass  of  disconnected  episodes, 
having  a  very  decided  continuous  thread.  Only 
the  thread  is  not  external,  of  story  or  plot ;  it 
is  a  unity  of  feeling  in  one  subjective  personality 
through   contrasting  situations.     This  sort  of 

book  was  the  prototype  of  Schumann's  Humor' 
267 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

eske  and  Kreisleriana,  where  apparently  all  idea 
of  form  is  abandoned  ;  one  piece  hardly  ends 
when  an  utterly  irrelevant  one  begins.  But  our 
highest  delight  is  to  find  the  subtle  connection 
which  pervades  the  whole.  And  thus,  with  all 
his  independence  of  earlier  models,  perhaps  by 
reason  of  it,  Schumann  seems  strongest  in  this 
very  power  of  weaving  subtly  initial  themes  to 
a  climax  which  crowns  the  work  with  its  own 
justification  and  true  ultimate  meaning. 

As  to  Schumann's  symphonies,  it  must  seem 
at  first  thought  that  all  these  elements  and 
early  influences  promise  little.  The  art  and 
thought  of  Bach  were  remote,  and  equally  the 
chaotic  method  of  dominant  litcrr.ture. 

It  must  be  seen,  too,  that  the  un\'crsal  ten- 
dency of  all  musical  thought  in  the  nineteenth 
century  was  special.  In  Beethov^^n  was  the 
colossal  climax.  In  Schubert  came  the  national 
reaction  and  assertion.  Berlioz  went  far  beyond 
the  true  limits  of  graphic  depiction.  Wagner 
cannot  escape  his  Teutonic  f  ivor.  Mendels- 
sohn seemed  to  find  most  inspiration  in  local 
romance, — at  any  rate  in  the  suggestion  of 
special  subjects. 

Schumann  seems  to  us  the  greatest  poet  of 
268 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  time;  but  he  was  representative  of  its 
spirit.  And  so  there  is  in  him,  too,  as  com- 
pared with  the  classic  height,  a  descent  into 
narrower  lines  of  feeling.  He  is  under  the 
domination  of  ideals  and  thought  of  contem- 
porary German  poetry,  pervaded  with  the  spirit 
of  German  legend.  Under  all  these  poets  of 
the  century,  one  theme  has  become  predominant 
beyond  its  due,  has  had  too  much  conscious 
stress.  Schumann's  treatment,  to  be  sure,  has 
been  of  the  highest  in  tone, — far  higher  than 
Wagner's.  But  in  all,  the  field  is  too  narrow, 
too  full  of  special  subjects  ;  there  is  no  approach 
to  the  noble  height  of  Beethoven's  cosmic, 
universal  thought. 

The  symphony,  as  the  highest  known  mode 
of  utterance  in  music,  is  always  greatest  with 
the  widest  scope.  Indeed,  it  might  be  said,  in 
a  very  strict  humor,  that  the  true  symphony 
can  have  no  limitation  whatever  of  special  sub- 
ject, whether  expressed  or  implied.  We  are 
thus  dangerously  near  a  prejudiced  view  of 
Schumann's  symphonies.  It  is  better  to  take 
our  usual  course,  forming  our  opinion  in  the 
very  reading  of  the  work. 


269 


IX 

SCHUMANN  (Continued) 

With  no  master  is  it  more  urgent  that  we 
approach  with  absolute  honesty,  free  from  pre- 
judgment, above  all  from  the  presumption  that 
his  symphonies  are  masterpieces.  We  may 
hope,  but  we  must  fear  for  symphonies  in  a 
Romantic  period. 

The  second  symphony  has  no  title  or  even 
association.  We  are  not  inclined  in  any  direc- 
tion. It  begins  not  unlike  the  characteristic 
prelude  of  Beethoven  and  Schubert,  which  we 
have  often  noticed.  With  them  it  was  a  mystic 
vein.  Now,  Schumann  is  of  all  poets  in  verse 
or  tone  most  lost  in  his  peculiar  subjectivity. 
He  does  not  paint  objects  (though  he  will  give 
with  subtle  power  the  true  sentiment  suggested 
in  outward  situations),  and  he  is  not  at  all 
philosophical.  It  would  be  a  great  gain  to  dis- 
cern this  distinction  between  the  element  of 
mystic  philosophy  in  music  with  a  certain  uni- 
versal scope,  and  what  might  be  called  the 
270 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

meditative,  the  psychological,  the  purely  intro- 
spective. Bach  and  Schumann  were  the  latter. 
Bach  was  tied  fast  to  the  moorings  of  his  creed. 
He  could  not  roam  and  grope  freely  for  the 
lowest  foundations.  Schumann's  temper  was 
for  romantic  meditation,  but  his  feeling  was 
intensely  and  passionately  special.  For  him  the 
wealth  of  emotion  in  the  individual  man  was 
too  great  to  stray  into  the  bleaker  regions  of 
general  impersonal  speculation.  And  yet  Schu- 
mann was  neither  materialist  nor  sentimentalist. 
He  might,  by  some,  be  called  a  link  between 
the  high,  impersonal  tone  of  his  great  predeces- 
sors and  the  sentimentalism  of  his  day  and  the 
later  materialism.  But  that  is  only  because  he 
himself  held  the  true  balance.  He  had  the 
right  mean  ;  he  did  not  run  into  riotous,  irre- 
sponsible hedonism.  In  the  vehemence  of  his 
sentiment  he  held  to  the  lode-star  of  highest 
ethical  ideals.  He  reached,  of  all  German 
poets,  the  highest  conception  of  woman.  With 
the  passionate  intensity  of  his  feeling,  he  had 
the  leaven  of  idealism,  a  sense  of  responsibil- 
ity and  of  profundity.  If  he  had  lived  into  a 
vigorous  middle  age,  it  seems  that  he  would 

probably  have  matured  into  the  highest  poetic 
271 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


quality.  Unfortunately,  the  very  intensity  of 
his  early  romanticism,  his  absorption  in  indi- 
vidual emotion,  made  irreparable  havoc  on  his 
mental  powers. 

In  his  symphonies  we  have  glimpses,  and 
more,  of  the  height  to  which  he  was  tending. 
Ever  deeper  his  sympathies  were  growing,  ever 
wider  bis  horizon ;  and  there  is  no  loss  of  in- 
tensity of  feeling.  Yet  his  symphonies  seem  to 
remain  still  in  the  field  of  special  and  individual 
interest ;  they  are  not  what  we  have  so  often 
praised  in  Beethoven  and  sometimes  in  others : 
they  are  not  cosmic.  It  is  not  simply  that  the 
third  symphony  is,  in  truth  and  in  title,  a  poem 
of  the  Rhine.  We  are  thinking  of  the  music 
itself 

Here,  in  the  second  symphony,  begins  the 
legendary  tone  in  the  horns,  with  quiet,  prime- 

Sostenuto  assai. 
Brass  (with  obligato  Violins). 

A' I      ___ 


i 


-fi-gh^ 


5 


:^E3 


-25)- 


^^ 


VTP 


r»^-f-5f- 


— 25Kr 


272 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


val  simplicity,  while  the  violins  add  an  accom- 
panying serene  meditation.  It  is  distinctly 
Teutonic.  It  has  not  the  universality  of 
the  Beethoven  Fifth,  or  even  of  Schubert's 
C  Major. 

Gradually  others  join.  The  discussion  grows 
in  a  more  human,  a  more  personal  vein.  It 
leads  somewhere.  Yet,  all  through,  the  deep- 
toned  legend  resounds.  Between  its  verses  the 
wind  sings  quite  naturally  and  naively : 


-i 


^ 


i 


f=^^ 


f 


P  Woodwind. 


-.u 


^ 


273 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


:p=^=: 


JL    J. 


-(5«- 


J:i 


:Ef 


=P=P: 


But  as  soon  as  the  horns  return,  the  strings 
fall  again  into  their  revery.  Now  with  gentle, 
not  sudden  awakening,  the  strings  striking  into 


f 


i 


t 


/ 

Trem. 


fp  espressivo. 


gs=g^ 


■^        i?       s         J? 


Mmmmm 


P  cresc. 


--^^- 


-SV.. 


274 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

a  quivering  hum,  a  new  strain  is  heard  from 
discoursing  woodwind,  with  a  kind  of  heavily 
springing  gait,  after  the  musing  walk  of  the 
Sostenuto. 

The  light  answer : 

-- ^ SJ— * i*K - 


grows  brighter,  more  insistent  and  vehement, 
but  disappears  when  the  legend  of  the  horns 
returns.  But  the  other  phrase,  equally  eccentric 
though  more  serious,  follows  along : 


^^-Ui,;r3 


through  a  full  and  broad  conclusion  and 
a  free,  rhetorical  flourish  of  violins,  into  the 
Allegro,  where  the  text  is  the  little  answering 
theme  that  before  piped  its  timid  attempts  and 
now  sings  a  steady  chant  of  joy,  with  that 
power  for  endless  sequence  and  flow,  which 
we  have  seen  lurking  in  Schumann  and  in  his 
themes : 

275 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Allegro  ma  non  troppo. 
Strings  (doubled  in  unison  and  upper  octave  by  Wood). 


=S^ 


Eventually  a  climax  is  reached  in  this  jolly, 
skipping  song,  with  some  change  of  locality ; 
and  now,  for  the  rest  of  the  preliminary  state- 
ment of  melodic  subjects,  there  is  a  quiet  talk, 
with  much  regularity  of  question  and  answer, 
on  a  theme  that  is  not  too  high  pitched,  that 
contrasts  pleasantly  with  the  first  in  the  even 
glide  of  its  motion  : 


276 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Doubled  above  and  below 


V 


Wood  (reinforced  by  tremolo  strings). 


w 


^.^  f: 


^t^ 


3t 


Doubled  below. 


':ij^ist^J±l 


I 


All  this  chatting  is  wound  up  by  (what 
seems  really  best  of  all)  a  broad,  authoritative 
conclusion,  in  simple  terms  (see  page  278), 
presently  confirmed  below  in  echoing  basses. 
A  final  verse  of  the  theme  closes  the  statement. 

Discussion  is  natural  to  Schumann.  But 
instead  of  the  dramatic,  boisterous  fray  of  many 
voices  fighting  out  their  conclusion  of  peace 
and  concord,  it  is  a  meditation,  a  curious  inter- 
nal reflection.  The  melodic  voices  seem  like 
277 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Woodwind  and  Strings. 


w. 


sfp      cres 


~N 


-f^ 


^ 


Rhythmic  figure  doubled  in  octaves. 


impersonal  shades  rather  than  the  Hving  figures 
which  laugh  and  talk  in  the  earlier  masters. 
Poetical  it  is  in  the  highest  degree.  But  it  is 
less  easily  perceived  as  a  graphic  symbolism  of 
mundane,  every-day  persons  and  doings.  It  is 
more  a  dreamy  haze  of  imaginings,  which  has 
its  artistic  place  and  need  as  much  as  any  other 

mood ;  but  it  is  perhaps  better  adapted  to  the 

278 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

solitary  handling  of  a  single  instrument  than  to 
the  orchestral  world  of  sounds. 

Here  the  united  strings  make  repeated 
descent  of  three  steps,  while  above  in  the 
woodwind  the  first  Allegro  is  still  keeping  us 
in  good  cheer  with  a  little  answering  phrase 
of  violins : 


Woodwind. 


s/P 


-?—&*- 


-^■ 


-K- 


:^=«*: 


h.  .,^^_ 


:^^'- 


I        it        ^ 


Strings  (doubled  below.) 


r 


i 


-1^- 


L^ 


^^ 


V 


■^ 


-^- 


-^' 


-f 


Now  the  maze  of  these  three  phrases  con- 
tinues,    A  duet  in  the  violins  is  see-sawing: 
279 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


'S-l     ^   J.    ^   J.   ^   J. 


i 


-^ 


^Eift=B 


x.^ 


:^ 


j-a-B-B-r-a 

gj;  V  :J:  V  J-  :^ 


?Jttap« 


-I — - — I ffT 1 — 


:S^- 


r-s. 


A-Ai 


while  the  flutes  are  still  piping  at  the  skipping 
song,  and  the  brass,  aided  by  fagots  and  oboes, 
are  ever  descending  into  lower  and  lower 
depths,  and  new  subterranean  scenes.  When 
the  violins  cross  each  other's  path,  there  is  a 
strange  pinch,  a  narrow  escape  from  quarrel, 
which  keeps  us  in  pleasantly  increasing  sus- 
pense. Soon  the  second  Allegro  theme  is  the 
bone  of  contention  between  mixed  parties  of 
wood  and  strings.  Still,  the  anxious  suspense, 
soothed  a  little  by  a  new  thought : 


Wood. 


pppg 


JD   espressivo. 

2«0 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


echoed  above  at  each  utterance,  then  advancing 
again  with  assenting  voices : 

Woodwind.  ^         |        "^^ 

i 


i 


»    ai^     ^ 


^=3: 


S 


i 


rr 


£ 


I 


and  now  through  a  strain  of  clearer  serenity 


l=M 


i^ 


± 


:t^ 


^s^ 


fJr 


/p 


^\ 


molto  espressivo. 


to  higher  and  still  more  delicate  refrains  of  the 
anxious  phrase : 

i 


^^ 


r 


f=^ 


J 


wandering  on  through  echoing  stretches,  inter- 
rupted by  strains  of  the  old  maze  of  descending 
basses  and  answering  strings.  Always  there  is 
this  balance  between  joy  and  pain,  this  dulcet 
anxiety  ;  throughout,  of  course,  the  joyful  dance 
of  the  first  melody  is  absent.  Now  the  mood 
grows  firmer,  more  confident,  gradually  lifting 


281 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


out  of  the  depths ;  then,  with  more  nervous 
step,  rising  more  and  more  impetuously,  a  new 
energy  in  the  answering  phrase  of  the  strings 
(which  has  been  hitherto  vaguely  wandering  in 
and  out) : 

Strings  (sustained  in  unison  and  above  by  Wind). 


-^-51- 


/ 


T 


:irjr 


-t^al— fi* — g — 


:^ 


-J- 


irf—ffi 


^^-^ 


M- 


m 


:p=ttW: 


y^ 


W=e^S=3= 


¥?■ 


^i=f 


T 

And  so,  soaring  into  gladder  heights,  we 
reach  at  last  the  swing  of  the  first  Allegro 
melody,  but  merely  the  dancing  movement. 
It  is  again  the  trio  of  voices  which  began  the 
discussion,   and   the   sky   is   still   o'ercast  with 

minor  clouds.    When  we  thought  we  were  out 

282 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

of  the  wilds,  back  we  must  go  to  the  dim, 
sweetly-sad  uncertainty,  until  we  despair  of 
reaching  the  old  pleasant  places  before  dark. 
In  gliding  strings,  while  the  woodwind  above  is 
lightly  piping  along,  is  that  earlier  strain  of 
anxious  soothing. 

But  at  the  end  of  the  climax,  after  a  few 
departing  wails,  we  are  at  last  gambolling  again 
in  our  sunny  meadows  to  the  tune  of  the  old 
dancing  song.  It  is  all  as  at  first,  only  noisier 
and  more  spirited.  But  when  the  melodies  have 
been  sung  again,  and  the  strings  descend  as  in 
the  beginning  of  the  discussion,  the  wood, 
instead  of  replying  with  the  skipping  phrase, 
answer  with  equally  steady,  gliding  sweep,  in 
contained  serenity : 


Wood. 


And  so  through  one  more  descent,  when  the 
283 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


ascent  begins  con  fuoco  with  nervous  energy  of 
phrase : 


Con  fuoco. 


^- 


sf  Strings 


?-r-» 


Strings  (reinforced  by  Woodwind) 


\%=i^^-^-ir-in 


p   f 


f   sf 


Doubled  below. 


?r-r — t—r 


i 


_i!a 


^ 


■0^0^ — • — •- 


r-=f- 


^- 


w    » 


sf 


f — r 


sf 


and  with  extended  rehearsing  of  other  earher 
phrases  and  cadences,  all  dominated  by  the  in- 
sistence of  the  principal  melody,  with  springing 
gait. 

Scherzo. 
We  are  not  pretending  to  set  forth  a  plan. 
Frankly,  we  have  not  discovered  it.     We  pre- 
fer to  search  for  it  in  company  with  the  reader. 
284 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Special  connection  with  the  Scherzo  is  not 
apparent, — mere  general  sympathy  of  mood. 
By  itself,  it  is  one  of  the  most  dehciously 
melodious,  magically  rhythmical  bits  of  music. 
But  in  the  symphony,  separate  charm  is  almost 
irrelevant, — is  far  behind  germane  pertinence. 

The  theme  is  a  type  of  one  of  Schumann's 
diverse  humors,  utterly  opposite  to  his  more 
common  sombre  sternness.  And  it  has  the 
quality,  rare  in  extended  subjects,  of  great 
versatility  for  discussion.     The  melody,  seem- 


AUegro  vivace. 
Strings  (the  chords  doubled  in  lower  Woodwind). 


tr 


)ha 


-^^ 


mf  "^ 


^ 


^ 


Bf: 


i'=f=F 


^ 


-#-•1 


t 


S 


^E 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


ingly  without  thought  of  a  necessary  end, 
bounds  along  through  scene  after  scene.  A 
little  later  the  wood,  which  have  been  chattering 
along,  make  gay  retort  to  the  first  phrase  of 
violins : 


5 


'f 


?= 


a 


p  Strings. 


Wood. 


I 


f 


^M- 


il>i-k»- 


:£E 


^ 

g 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


The  dialogue  continues  in  varying  pitch.  In 
the  midst  of  it  comes  a  most  delicate  bit  of 
play,  at  hide  and    seek,  between   strings  and 


Strings 


wind.  Then  both  go  tripping  together  back 
to  the  original  dance,  whence  all  is  repeated. 
Here  the  swing  of  the  first  melody  has  an 
increased  vigor,  almost  the  swoop  of  wind. 

After  a  friendly  touch  at  the  close,  the  first 
Trio  is  contrasted  in  a  confidential,  informal, 
intimate  way,  peculiarly  Schumann's,  breaking 

Trio  I. 


Woodwind  and  Horns,  doubled 


i,      i,      X       -9-     '^     -0- 


above. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


formal  rhythm.  Though  quietly  playful,  it  is 
reflective  compared  with  the  bubbling  Scherzo. 
All  in  graceful  swing,  the  woodwind  sing 
their  song  laughingly ;  the  strings  answer  more 
seriously.  The  wood  continue  frivolous ;  the 
strings  now  discourse  freely  without  much  atten- 
tion to  the  mischievous  wood,  humming  away 
without  constraint  of  period,  as  if  to  themselves, 
reiterating,  lengthening  out  the  phrases  at  sweet 
will  into  a  sincere,  friendly  conclusion,  broken 
into  by  the  impish  woodwind,  when  the  melody 
is  repeated.  And  now  the  strings  are  quickly 
infected  with  the  fun  ;  the  wood  actually  settle 
down  to  a  sober  song : 

Higher  octaves. 


rtStLTf  17'^LJ' ClT^ 


3 

"WoowiND  AND  Brass. 


Bass  doubled  below. 
288 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Then,  after  returning  to  the  earlier  Trio,  they 
gradually  are  drawn  again  into  the  whirl  of  the 
Scherzo.  But  the  Trio  was  evidently  not  enough 
of  a  brown  study.  Schumann  must  have  his 
recoil  from  hilarity, — must  retreat  into  his  shell 
for  a  good  hour  by  himself.  In  the  second 
Trio,  after  the  merriment  of  the  Scherzo  has 
faded  away,  we  leave  dancing  and  shouting  and 
settle  into  a  quiet  current  of  bitter-sweet  dream- 
ing. There  is  no  glad  rhythm,  no  sparkling 
tune,  but  a  continuous  song,  charged  with 
mingled  longing  and  content : 

Trio  II.  Strings. 


The  revery  deepens  when  the  melody  subtly 
steals  in  in  the  basses,  before  the  oboes  have 
finished,  and  similarly  the  flutes  break  in  before 
the  latter  end.  Soon  the  dreamy  plot  thickens, 
with  manifold  play  of  initial  phrases.     Later 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  full  song  returns  with  complete  swing. 
Then,  after  repeated  timid  attempts,  the  jolly 
Scherzo  steals  in  and  soon  spreads  its  cheer  all 
about,  ending  in  a  romp. 


The  Adagio  is  the  real  lyric  point  of  the 
symphony.  Like  the  Scherzo,  in  its  way  it  is 
an  inspiration  of  the  highest  beauty.  And 
with  the  Scherzo  the  relation  of  contrast  en- 
hances its  meaning.  If  it  were  not  for  the 
stern  standard  we  have  set,  we  could  rejoice 
with  glad  assurance  in  one  of  the  greatest  of 
all  symphonies.  But  we  cannot  lose  sight  of 
the  one  highest  requisite, — the  dominance  of 
one  feeling  throughout ;  and  by  this  standard 
we  must  measure. 

It  is  not  simply  in  the  majestic,  simple  grace 
and  fervid  pathos  of  the  melody,  it  is  quite  as 


Adagio  espressivo. 


=^14=^ 


^ 


^    Cantabile. 


:[=: 


^ 


-u- 


-0-0—0 


0:^ 


290 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


^ 


^= 


*= 


5 


=* 


^ 


if^ 


^-5-1 


4^ 


i=#^Fs=5:^ 


Lr^i# 


:^f 


±=: 


much  the  ingenuous  charm  with  which  a  new 

voice  ever  sHps  in  with  the  subject,  before  we 

are  prepared,  without  any  fuss  or  ceremony  of 

introduction, — hke  members  of  a  family  group 

steaUng  in  around  the  hearth  one  by  one ;  and 

before  you   know  it,   all  are  gathered,  cosily 

talking.     At  the  end  of  a  verse  of  the  great 

melody,   the  wood   and   horns   have  a   simple 

introduction  with  the  strings  in  a  discussion  on 

a  phrase  that  seems  insignificant,  but  breaks  out 

into  a  most  moving  cadence  : 
291 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Strings  (with  occasional  Woodwind). 


Then  on  the  first  two  bars  of  the  melody, 
rung  at  ever  higher  pitch  by  the  viohns,  rises 
an  insistent  plaint  of  speaking  beauty,  end- 
ing at  last  serenely  in  a  (major)  key  of  con- 
tentment. Now  creeps  in  pure  meditation,  who 
must  have  her  moment.  Even  from  pathetic 
utterance  Schumann  must  retire  to  chew  the 
cud  of  quiet  reflection.  The  visible  cud  is  a 
fugal  theme  discussed  by  monkish  strings  in 
strict  impersonal  solemnity,  from  the  gloomy 
maze  of  which  the  expressive  woodwind  re- 
lieves us  by  unceremoniously  entering  with 
the  main  melody.  Again  the  discussion  of 
the  strings ;  again  the  insistent  plaint ;  and 
the  end,  in  profound  musing,  with  the  lowest 
strings  humming   bits  of  the  tune  again   and 

again. 

292 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


We  come  to  the  Finale.  Here,  if  anywhere, 
must  be  the  justification.  Let  us  pursue  our 
quietly  expectant  way.  We  have  had,  so  far, 
a  spirited  Allegro.,  introduced  in  truly  naive 
musing,  broken  ever  by  legend-toned  horns ;  a 
sparkling  Scherzo,  with  its  shy  retreating  and 
periodic  reserve ;  and  an  Adagio  of  rarest 
beauty.  Here  is  at  first  a  mere  signalling 
strum  and  blast.  Then  what  seems  the  main 
melody,  queerly  starting  in  a  subordinate  key, 
sounds  with  all  the  band  but  drums  and  low 
brass,  all  in  Allegro  molto  vivace : 

Whole  Orchestra  (save  Drums  and  Trombones). 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


and  so,  ^  long  in  continuous,  spirited  melody, 
bandying  about  one  phrase  : 


and  breaking  out  again  in  simple,  hearty  chorus, 
ever  adding  some  new  touch  of  quaint  variation  : 


A/^  but   Trombones,  with  higher  octaves. 


II    aui-     u  r vrnuuftc:i 


2=tl 


r 


-&—d~-\ 


-g-^ 


-f:- 


r 


It 


:t 


'-^^ 


tt#-. 


I  r    I 


r 


r 


294 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Then  comes  in  the  strings  what  seems  almost 
pedantic  for  so  glad  a  song.  As  violas  and 
fagots  trip  leisurely  along,  the  violins  simply 
course  up  and  down  the  scale,  with  no  special 


— S- 


t) 


#  ^Tp  • 


rd3 


J^ 


?E^(^E 


W-^ 


..At 


i      I      I 


-^-^-P- 


significance,  continuing  in  mild  playfulness. 
Soon  horns  and  other  wind  join.  Now  is  the 
meaning  clear.  Through  the  network  of  run- 
ning strings  and  coursing  woodwind  sings  from 
the  depth  of  cellos  and  fagots,  reinforced  by 
violins  and  clarionets,  the  stately  melody  of  the 


Oboes  and  Horns  below. 


Strings 


Violas,  Clarionets,  Cellos,  and  Fagots. 
295 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Adagio,  with  serener  majesty,  and  a  little  less  of 
sadness,  in  long  notes,  making  a  basic  theme 
for  the  whole. 

All  is  on  a  great  scale  and  with  a  certain  re- 
serve. Once  the  legend  has  sounded,  it  does 
not  forthwith  sound  again,  but  lets  the  voluble 
strings  chatter  away  the  more  lightly  for  its 
absence.  But  it  is  always  gathering  for  a  new 
utterance.  And  so  it  returns,  enounced  in  a 
higher  scenic  region  ;  it  sings  more  frequently : 


Responsive  play  of  mixed  groups  of  Woodwind  and  Strings. 
Doubled  in  octaves  above  and  below. 


J- 


^- 


=T 


U 


^ 


F^^=f=f 


W 


f 


1 


:.bJ=£ 


^•^ 


3 


^W=W- 


^ 


ipzzpi 


^=r- 


Doubled  below.     HORNS. 


ri 


'U- 


~-F^ 


|i2- 


U 


296 


-x=-- 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Now  all    are   started   singing   fragments  in  a 
great  medley. 

The  pathos  is  all  gone,  but  not  the  depth  or 
majesty.  Finally,  as  half  the  instruments  are 
coursing  furiously,  the  others  sing  the  conclusive 
phrase  with  true  assured  finality  : 

Stnngs  doubled  above  in  Woodwind. 


Strings  doubled  below. 

Thence  back  to  the  first  melody,  but  not  at 
all  with  formal  exactness.  For  after  the  refrain 
of  this  theme  comes  the  unmistakable  psycho- 

Harmony  in  the  Woodwind. 


^ 


Strings. 


w^ 


-^^ 


-^n 


^^ 


Doubled  above  and  below. 


297 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


logical  moment  which  stamps  Schumann.  All 
sentiment  aside,  we  must  down  for  a  good  hard 
think  on  the  phrase  of  the  original  strum  of  the 
movement. 

The  collision  of  the  running  forces,  roughly 
jostling  by,  shows  the  argumentative  reflection, 
— JEneas  multa  diu  jactans  animo.  The  jar  of 
altercating  contradictions  is  undeniable.  We 
can  see  the  parties  getting  into  technicalities. 
Out  of  it  suddenly  is  a  more  placid,  but  more 


Strings  and  Clarionets.  Flutes  in  octave  above. 

Rhythmical  marcato. 

^  Horns  and  Fagots.       ^=="  =r 


marcato 

±1 


t=- 


^W^ 


h.^ 


:=^ 


I      I3     I 


J- 


-J- 


-fi^ 


22: 


''\r^ 


298 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


i 


J 


w. 


%^^ 


S 


rrrrrj 


w     p      p—W    0 


^ 


T 


absorbed  revery ;  eyes  turned  inward ;  a  rapt 
musing ;  no  resultant  feeling  as  yet ;  still  wan- 
dering and  wondering. 

The  strumming  run,  too,  adds  its  opposing 
course,  though,  to  be  sure,  the  other  voices, 
differing  before,  now  unite  against  the  intruder : 


^^ 


Strings  (doubled  above  in  Woodwind). 


7T 


^ITTT 


55?- 


i^r 


^^ 


^^ 


^^ 


*rr-rrr 


Low  strings  doubled  below. 

And  presently  we  are  in  the  very  valley  of  the 

shadow  of  darkest  groping, — ominous  ; 
299 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


i 


Strings  and  Clarionets. 


-4- 


M 


li^-EE= 


f 


*xr  ^  r  f 

Horns  and  Fagots. 


TTHT 


a" 


Strings  doubled  below. 
FLUtES  AND  Oboes  added  above. 


«/. 


-^- 


a 


^^^ 


SEE 


^1 


5=e 


^T 


ter 


P       P 


r.  r  r 


p   • 


Soon  a  ray  of  exquisite  sunlight,  but  always 
the  constant,  slow  career  of  wondering  thought, 
— a  new,  sweet  responsiveness  between  high 
strings  and  low : 

Strings  (doubled  above  in  Clarionets). 


'^'- 


r 


i5i= 


^    ^    ^    ^    A. 

—  Horns. 


rr-^TT 


-^ 


sf  Strings. 


300 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

sf  .\ 


-St 


si- 


-"^ 


-rrrny 


T 


-p — • — •- 


r 


::T 


-iS2- 


And  now,  at  last,  a  more  friendly,  home-like, 
reassuring  word : 

Strings  (with  sustaining  Clarionets). 


-I 1 1 h 


^==t 


^P^? 


^    ^    ^     ^    ^-^ 


12^ 
4 


^=^ 


t^. 


Answering  Woodwind. 


4 


J 


15s 


S*=^^ 


IT     0        ^ 


sr=f=r 


r  f  r  ■"  ^  ^ 


:fe: 


301 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Then  we  fight  our  way  out  of  the  gloom  in 
triumphant  struggle,  crowned  by  the  song  in  big 
swinging  rhythm  of  the  Adagio  melody,  more 
soothing  than  ever,  spreading  its  soaring  chant, 


5/ J- 


ibi 


^ 


^^^ 


iP^ 


^t'T^ 


r 


-Mz 


^^ 


fir 


I  I 


fv. 


^ 


i::tet:r.-=i 


fT'W 


-I — 


u- 


T=^ 


'-^m 


r  ~r 

IL. 


^-- 


m 


~J=: 


u 


f 


^ 


=|:5it±8=« 


■.^ 


n 


i3= 


302 


/i^ 


t=: 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

with  answering  voice  far  down  in  smooth-toned 
bass,  in  peaceful  duo,  singing  away  with  no 
thought  of  end.  And  right  from  the  serene 
song  there  is  that  special,  intimate  touch  of 
none  but  Schumann. 

And  when  the  melody  begins  again,  descend- 
ing instead  of  ascending,  we  have  reached  the 
best  again,  the  purest  trust,  unshaken  because 
deepest  laid,  answered  above,  and  again  uttered 
with  a  broadly  worded  conclusion,  maintained 
with  big,  still  pauses. 

And  here  is  a  phase  that  no  Beethoven  ever 
conceived ;  certainly,  never  in  the  heart  of  an 
Allegro,  It  is  the  poet  of  Romance,  the  Jean 
Paul  of  music,  of  unforeseen  surprises  of  mood  ; 
and  yet,  in  the  most  abrupt  change,  you  never 
feel  the  lack  of  inner  essential  connection  and 
significance. 

It  is  somewhat  the  feeling  of  the  second 
Trio.  Absolutely  without  traditional  prescrip- 
tion of  form,  more  than  half-way  through,  the 
storm  of  the  Allegro  ceases,  and  an  entirely 
new  melody  —  outwardly  I  —  begins,  charged 
with  that  deepening  feeling  which  has  so  strong 
a  resemblance  to  the  devotional.  We  might 
call  it  a  secular  chorale.  It  was  the  mood  in 
303 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

which  Schumann  wrote  himself  "  Eusebius" ; 
and  it  follows  here  with  the  usual  fitting 
inconsequence  upon  the  heels  of  Florestan. 
Chorale-like  it  is  in  the  half-notes  of  the  wood- 


g— ^^  4^ :iszz=^_^.  _  ^-. — _. 


It 


i^^zz: 


f 


^ 


^ 


£ 


:^2=i= 


wind,  followed  by  strings  descending  in  hollow 
unison : 


.J=^=Ei 


P=f=T=Tr 


:fe^ 


^ 


P  do/ce. 

and  then  the  idyllic  chorale  in  a  new  quarter  of 
the  wood.  It  is  strange  how  merely  external  is 
this  irrelevance.  In  reality,  it  is  felt  as  a  closest 
part  of  the  whole  texture.  You  are  perplexed 
with  a  haunting  sense  that  it  has  sung  before. 

For  a  moment  there  breaks  in  a  stirring  pulse 
from  an  earlier  verse ;  but  slowly  we  descend 
304 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

into  a  reflective  vein  on  the  chorale.  Still,  it  is 
not  the  psychological  moment  of  Schumann. 
That  is  a  conscious  mental  spinning ;  this  is 
mere  pensive,  sentient  dreaming,  free  of  alge- 
braic thought,  but  with  the  more  perfect  se- 
quence of  unwitting  logic,  running  on  as  if 
with  infinite  measure  of  verse  : 

Woodwind  and  Strings. 


Then  as  the  run  of  strings  reappears,  the 
earthly  hymn  takes  on  a  new  spring,  and  we 
are  back  in  the  old  discussion  on  the  strumming 
phrase,  with  abrupt,  authoritative  ending  of  the 


305 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

dispute  in  a  pause  that  sets  all  wondering,  ex- 
pectant that  Florestan  with  his  boisterous  train 
is  coming  to  say  the  final  word.  Instead,  the 
gentle,  pensive  Eusebius  once  again  enters.  He 
has  a  new  note  in  his  song,  a  turn  of  quaint 
assurance.  See  how  the  melody  now  descends, 
without  the  old  questioning  : 


Again   the   strange  retort   in   timid   unison. 

Then   the   chorus  enter  with   firm,  conclusive 

strain,  still  strongly  charged  with  a  pious  spirit. 

At  the  end  of  one  of  the  final  refrains  of  the 

chorale,  before  we  have  discovered  it,  an  old 

figure  has  stolen  in  ;  the  primeval  legend  of 

horns  is  sounding  its  perennial  phrase,  as  though 

it  had   not   been   silent   all   along.     And  now 

another  old  memory  rises  from  the  musing  of 

the  earliest  beginning: 

306 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


>, 


Woodwind  (doubled  above  and  below). 


fe 


^- 


:?=^= 


Sempre  crescendo. 


^^^ 


ffr 


1 — ^- 


rr- 


Low  strings. 


Somehow  it  does  not  fit  ill  with  the  Eusebius 
melody.  And  now  see  how,  while  this  sings  in 
three-measured  rhythm,  the  legend  sounds  in 
the  brass  in  perfect  accord  of  independent 
rhythm,  the  old  one  of  four  paces.  While  the 
former  vanishes,  the  latter  continues,  with  slight 
intervals,  until  the  end,  and,  all  in  unconscious 
agreement,  the  Eusebius  melody  floats  above  in 
triumph ;  below  the  strings  are  still  striding  in 
the  strange  three-paced  rhythm. 

Then  in  the  last  great  verse,  a  big  phrase 
takes  command ;  it  reminds  us  a  little  of  the 
first  Allegro  in  its  eccentric  gait,  and  somehow 
suggests,  too,  the  song,  though  more  broadly, 
of  the  first  melody  of  the  last  movement.  Still, 
Eusebius  has  not  subsided ;  he  is  paramount  in 
the  great  throng.  Indeed,  he  has  the  very  last 
307 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

word  of  clear  song.  He  seems  to  broaden, 
almost  to  smile  a  gentle  blessing  at  the  end. 
But  the  big  melody  does,  indeed,  reconcile  the 
feeling  of  the  first  and  last  canto  of  our  epic. 

What  shall  we  say  to  it  all  ?  Surely  so  much 
beauty  can  only  come  from  sincerity.  The 
unity  is  here ;  we  must  bow  our  head.  It  is  a 
true,  a  great  symphony.  Yet  next  comes  the 
trying  question :  What  is  this  feeling  whose 
unity  is  proclaimed?  It  is  certainly  not  the 
clear  mood  of  the  great  Beethoven  poems  that 
we  found  words  for  ;  not  of  the  earlier  Mozart; 
not  of  the  later  Schubert.  It  is  less  definable 
than  all  these.  It  has  not  their  universality, 
their  bigness  of  conception.  It  is  in  romantic 
recoil  from  their  classic  cosmic  completeness. 
But  in  its  narrower  roaming  among  romantic 
dells,  bold  heights,  and  shaded  valleys,  it  makes 
a  smaller,  but  hardly  less  perfect  circle  of  its 
own.  In  its  delving  and  dreaming  it  goes 
beyond  the  reach  even  of  our  attempt  at  en- 
titling or  summing.  And  here  it  is,  perhaps, 
lesser  than  the  earlier  symphonies,  where,  it 
seems,   the    intensity    of   message    forces    the 

meaning  clear  of  mystery.    It  finds,  somehow, 
308 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

apart  from  the  broad  careers  of  its  great  prede- 
cessors, a  new  cycle  of  untrodden  path.  It  has 
not,  perhaps,  their  bigness  of  view,  nor  their 
breadth.  It  is  somewhat  confined  within  the 
poetic  fancy  of  the  Teutonic  nation.  Yet  it 
marks  the  truest  circle  of  its  own  beauty  and 
justification. 

In  its  recoil  from  the  classics,  it  necessarily 
lacks  their  completeness  of  view.  Therefore 
its  very  purpose  from  the  beginning  is  more 
special.  It  is  a  symphony,  not  of  Man  in  the 
broadest  sense,  nor  of  Life,  but  rather  of  a  cer- 
tain very  high  conception  of  the  Teuton  poet, 
complete  within  the  limits  of  nationality,  and 
of  a  more  idyllic  sentiment,  which  was,  after 
all,  lost  in  the  broad  scope  of  the  older  masters. 


309 


X 

SCHUMANN  (Continued) 

Third  Symphony. 

Our  first  sense  is  of  vigor ;  then  it  has  some- 
thing to  say.  It  is  clearly  not  joyful,  like  so 
many  symphonies ;  a  certain  stern  strength  for- 
bids. It  seems  to  have  some  special  poetic 
content,  which  it  is  struggling  to  express  with 
more  definiteness  than  the  usual  vague  sym- 
phony. So  it  suggests  three  kinds  of  works : 
first,  the  entitled  ;  lastly,  those  that  are  untitled 
and  vague  even  to  the  composer  ;  between  them 
are  those  that,  while  untitled,  are  definite  to  the 
composer,  and  are  meant  to  show  a  meaning 
purely  on  the  musical  merits  and  by  musical 
means,  without  help  of  verbal  label. 

The  question  rises :  Is  it  right  to  set  the 
mind  puzzling?  Music  is  not  a  graphic  art, 
nor  explanatory,  nor  logical,  but  purely  emo- 
tional. Hence,  why  should  not  the  master  tell 
all  he  knows,  and  let  the  hearer  enjoy.  Still,  to 
withhold  the  literal   label   does  seem  to   save 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

music  from  the  ridiculous  position  of  being 
eked  out  by  words  in  its  purpose.  What  is 
the  answer?  We  must  get  over  the  fact  that 
music  is  not  meant  to  be  graphic.  Even  if 
music  were  to  paint  you  a  perfect  picture  with 
all  the  details,  or  tell  you  a  thrilling  story,  it 
would  really  do  nothing.  You  would  catch  it 
much  better  in  colors  or  in  words.  Therefore 
the  element  of  making  clear  an  outside  mean- 
ing must  be  abandoned  as,  after  all,  frivolous, 
irrelevant,  unworthy.  Even  if  we  are  accused 
of  false  pretence  in  writing  down  a  title,  we 
must  simply  bear  it.  But,  of  course,  we  must 
not  really  try  this  tonal  painting.  Only  in  so 
far  as  we  may,  in  writing,  be  burdened  with  the 
sense  of  a  subject,  may  we  tell  the  hearer  this 
in  words,  and  ask  him  to  feel  with  us,  at  every 
risk  of  false  accusation.  All  the  time  we  set 
him  guessing  is  wasted.  We  must  never  try  to 
ennoble  our  art  by  setting  it  on  a  throne  of 
verbal  significance.  If  it  communicates  a 
poetic  mood,  it  does  enough  and  the  highest. 
Whether  you  call  your  work  a  Rhine  Sym- 
phony or  a  Legendary  Symphony  or  Feudal  or 
Primeval,  anything  within  the  great  field  sug- 
gestive of  the  particular  direction  of  the  soaring 
3" 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

thought  or  the  color  of  the  spirit's  mood  will 
be  enough.  Whether  it  be  just  the  Rhine  or 
the  Ganges  is  not  necessarily  a  real  gain. 

Music  must  not  fear  to  be  irrelevant  even 
with  itself;  for  instance,  to  rush  off  into  an 
apparently  frivolous  by-way.  For  the  very  un- 
conscious impulse  that  suggests  the  flight  is 
more  relevant  than  any  carefully  conscious  plan 
and  keeping  to  the  plan.  And  thus  the  very 
attempt  at  consistent  picturing  defeats  the  whole 
object  of  spontaneous  expression  of  feeling.  It 
will  take  care  of  itself,  and  prove  its  own  veri- 
fication. 

In  this  symphony,  for  example,  knowing  the 
"  Rhine"  title  (which  Schumann  suggested),  we 
should  describe  our  impressions  in  certain 
words ;  not  knowing  it,  with  certain  others. 
But  in  any  case,  these  words  are  not  the  sym- 
phony itself  They  would  change  at  each 
writing.  They  are  only  meant  to  suggest.  And 
whether  we  know  the  title  or  not,  if  we  are 
faithful  to  the  feeling  and  intelligent  in  our  art, 
we  are  bound  to  reflect  the  mood,  in  whatever 
words.  In  some  we  come  nearer  to  the  original 
feeling  than  in  others. 

Of  course,  there  is  no  doubt  that  in  some 
312 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

cases  the  particular  mood,  if  specially  defined, 
may  be  more  difficult  to  catch  than  in  others ; 
for  instance,  where  there  is  a  dream  of  partic- 
ular national  legend  or  locality,  to  a  foreign  ear. 
And  here  again  the  answer  must  be  to  the  com- 
poser :  Don't  waste  time  in  puzzling  the  hearer. 
Tell  him  all  possible.  Let  him  enjoy  with  you. 
But  in  any  case  it  ought  to  be  purely  beauti- 
ful. Only  in  so  far  as  a  special  subject  dances 
before  the  mind  of  the  writer,  may  the  unin- 
formed listener  puzzle  to  a  certain  degree. 
Beauty  and  meaning  are  blended  to  an  undis- 
tinguishable  degree.  Where  the  meaning  is 
vaguest  for  definite  words, — as  in  Mozart — we 
are  apt  to  talk  merely  of  beauty ;  where  signi- 
ficance has  the  stress,  beauty  is  almost  lost  sight 
of  There  is  no  dividing  line.  Beauty  ought 
not  to  be  in  itself  the  only  purpose, — nor  signi- 
ficance to  threaten  to  usurp  its  sway.  Signifi- 
cance must  be  unconscious,  unstriving.  But 
both  are  equally  important.  Meaning  of  poetic 
mood  leavens  the  vague  beauty  of  sound  to  a 
wholesome  message. 

It  is  not  unfair,  then,  to  take  every  hint  the 
master  gives.     So,  first,  we  must  see  how  every 
313 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

title  is  German.  "  Dritte  Symphonic"  it  is,  and 
begins  "  Lebhaft," — no  foreign  Allegro.  This 
is  all  not  really  essential. 

Strong  and  rugged  is  the  central  quality, 
firmly  standing  on  the  basic  tone,  which  it  is 
loth  to  part  with,  which  holds  a  lingering  pedal 
point  beyond  its  natural  domain.  The  melody 
is  strongly  grounded  in  the  tonic  chord.     It  is 


Lebhaft. 
Full  Orchestra  (Woodwind  in  higher  octaves). 


/USD" 


-rrrrrf 


e 


r- 


-r  f  r 


r- 


4 


i^-ifi^ 


5 


F=*=^ 


fzt 


n 


ffc:^^=» 


:t= 


r  r 


:l= 


=r= 


314 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


not  flowing,  almost  severe  and  rough  ;  resolute, 
not  insinuating. 

But  the  less  cantabile  the  melody,  the  more 
continuous  and  unending, — the  compensation 
in  all  things.  Striking  melody  must  have  an 
early  end  by  the  very  requirement  of  its  sym- 
metric beauty ;  in  its  charm  lies  the  necessity 
for  its  early  conclusion.  So,  conversely,  the 
less  of  melodic  rotundity,  the  more  spontaneous 
and  unlimited  the  progress.  So  here  there  is 
much  of  that  special  power  for  sequence,  for 
the   course  of  narrative,  that   Schumann   was 


f 


^ 


H'p^r  r^ 


315 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

foremost  to  develop.  These  sequences  (from 
the  end  of  the  first  quotation)  seem  as  if  they 
might  well  go  on  forever. 

Soon  the  original  refrain  is  taken  up  with 
greater  chorus  than  before.  The  brass,  with 
sonorous  solemnity,  is  strongly  present  through- 
out the  symphony.  In  the  repetition,  a  phrase 
of  new  vivacity  appears  in  the  answer : 


^^m- 
^^^ 


Bass  doubled  below 


all  carried  along  with  that  logic  of  sequence 
and  narrative  that  makes  all  seem  equally  worth 
quoting.  Almost  the  essence  of  the  movement 
is  contained  in  the  rhythm  which  appears  every- 
where, especially  in  horns  and  basses : 


fc 


:v^=t: 


^- 


Now  the  subject  enters  again  with  wonderful 

depth  of  device,  as  the  oboes,  clarionets,  and 

fagots  are  singing   the   melody  a  whole   beat 

behind  flutes,  brass,  and  violins,  and  yet,  instead 
316 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

of  conflict,  there  is  but  a  richer  magnificence. 
The  feehng  of  depth  of  unconscious  design  is 
growing  upon  us,  in  step  with  the  symbolic 
music.  Again  comes  the  fluent  phrase,  which 
helps  to  a  cadence,  simmering  down  to  the 
quiet  lyric  feeling  of  the  second  melody,  mostly 
in  woodwind,  with  but  faintest  reminders  of 
more  solemn  background. 

Woodwind  (with  the  low  strings  sustaining  the  harmony). 


Then  it  swings  with  bolder  plaint  out  into  the 
major,  but  quickly  returns  to  the  stern  theme 
of  the  beginning.    There  is  a  very  similar  rela- 
tion of  objective  and  subjective,  of  fate  and 
317 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


victim,  to  the  first  Allegro  of  Beethoven's  Fifth 
Symphony,  though  we  have  no  thought  of  a 
similar  extension  of  such  an  idea.  But  the 
repeated  prayer  of  the  second  and  the  stern 
progress  of  the  first  melody  suggest  the  analogy 
for  the  moment.  But  right  here  there  is  a 
sudden  glad  complexion  of  the  main  figure, 
that  spoils  the  continuing  symbol,  while  it 
enhances  the  charm  of  the  poem.  From  the 
high-spirited  burst — on  through  a  phrase  which 
sustains  the  feeling  in  more  meditative  vein. 
Then  suddenly  back  to  stern  business,  with  the 
rapid  run,  with  relentless  power,  in  fff^  inter- 
rupted anon  with  curious,  delicate  cogitations 
on  the  echoed  phrase.  Now  follows  the  second 
melody  with  a  new  profundity.  For,  as  it 
sings  on  high  in  woodwind,  out  of  the  depths 

Woodwind. 


Strings. 


318 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


V 


>la. 


MEi 


Ei:±f=B»: 


E& 


d^. 


11^ 


J.. 


=l=i 


-r-= 


SI^ 


•=-5»-  •     -*—  -i— 


ific 


rises  an  interrupting  echo,  both  voices  chant- 
ing independently.  They  grow,  mutually  re- 
inforcing, losing  the  plaint,  to  a  climax  of 
power,  in  which  is  blended  the  vigor  of  the 
rapid  phrase.  When  the  first  subject  reappears 
in  the  basses,  it  comes  no  longer  in  terrible 
interruption,  but  rather  by  natural  expectation. 
The  element  of  passive  subject  is  not  lost ;  but 
by  the  courage  of  companionship  he  has  grad- 
ually nerved  himself  to  meet  the  nearing  fate. 
We  must  not  commit  ourselves  to  one  image. 
All  are  shifts  to  utter  the  general  mood.  Here 
there  is  a  new  spring.  If  forced  to  a  single 
phrase,  I  should  say  the  whole  had  the  feeling 
of  some  Stern  High  Festival, — big  with  deep 
omen,  but  still  festive.  Hear  this  solemn  echo 
de  profundis : 


319 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Tutti. 


■t^A  j:^  2-  M 


sL 


tt2__^ 


itn 


:^ 


M_ 


t=^ 


tz 


Throughout  there  is  this  feehng  of  High 
Festival  with  solemn  undertone,  where  the  bass 
is  constantly  speaking,  and  finally  breaks  out 
into  the  subject,  joined  later  by  the  whole 
chorus.  The  second  melody  now  sounds  more 
human  than  ever  in  the  contrast,  with  slight 
change  of  higher  swing.  Soon  reflection  ap- 
pears in  the  dual  discussing  voices ;  and  now, 
after    a    climax    (where,    before,    the    subject 

Strings,  Oboes,  and  Flutes. 


Cellos  and  Basses 


320 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

sounded  powerfully)  is  the  "  best"  again.  In 
surprise  of  harmony,  trembling  in  high  strings 
and  wood,  in  softest  tones,  sings,  down  in  sacred 
horns,  not  the  melody  itself,  but  its  essence  in 
simple,  drawn-out  sounds. 

It  is  the  very  spirit  and  voice  of  ancient  legend 
sounding  through  the  hallowed  woodland, — in 
the  whole  passage,  where  the  horns,  at  last  rising 
to  a  high  note,  gradually  sink,  dim  meditation 
hovering  about,  down  and  away  into  unseen 
depths,  as  suddenly  the  clarion  woodwind  ring 
out  irregular,  conflicting  cries  through  the 
forest : 

Oboes. 


8va. 


Cellos  (doubled  below  in  the  Basses). 

Then   higher   uncertain   calls   are  answered 
below  in  united  horns  and  lower  wood  ;  later  is 
the  simple  cry  of  this  legend-spirit,  twice  re- 
echoed from  highest  woodwind  to  lowest  brass. 
21  321 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

The  echoes  continue  on  broader  phrase  to  high- 
est possible  grandeur,  emerging  in  the  beginning 
melody,  itself  the  echoing  phrase,  in  fullest, 
loudest  union  of  all.  For  some  time  the  origi- 
nal verse  is  rehearsed.  In  its  midst  is  a  gloomy, 
uneasy  dying  away  of  broken  phrases  in  the 
wood.  Out  of  it  anon  come  cries  from  the 
pleading  melody.  It  might  be  the  Loreley 
witch  and  her  victim  caught  in  the  forest : 

*•  Kommst  nimmermehr  aus  diesem  Wald." 

But  presently  sounds  again  the  firm  note  of 
main  theme.  And  now  all  is  in  gladder  strain. 
There  is  a  new  glow  of  epic  joy,  with  a  crown- 
ing burst  at  the  end.  It  is  the  clearest  epitome 
of  Teutonic  legendary  poetry. 

Scherzo.     Sehr  Massig. 

We  are  surer  than  ever  that  we  have  caught 
the  spirit,  when  we  come  to  the  second  move- 
ment,— the  only  one  in  which  Schumann  has 
descended  from  his  sacred  German  to  a  foreign 
word.  That  shows  its  importance ;  and  so 
there  is  no  doubt  of  the  humor.  I  should  call 
it  an  heroic  ballad  with  humorous  edge.  The 
national  color  is  here  of  the  sharpest.     To  one 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


who  has  not  known  and  felt  the  German  ballad 
of  the  Rhine,  it  may  be  somewhat  of  a  riddle. 
But  then  it  is  all  the  clearer  from  its  very  limita- 
tions : 

Sehr  mdssig. 
In  strings  and  lower  horns. 


^ 


mf 


P  ten. 


S 


=^ 


^^^ 


i=HV 


4^ 


5:       i?       J? 

I 

Fagots  and  low  strings. 


r 


^mm 


^W 


^ 


J 


^J- 


1 


M 


-0-  ^  is.  y 

You   can  almost  see  the  words  under  the 
score,  beginning,  say : 

"  Im  hohen  Burgverliess," 

and  so  spinning  along  to  the  drive  of  the  song. 

But  it  must  be  a  sombre  old  ballad ;  of  dread 

323 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

danger,  and  some  impossible  happenings,  not 
without  a  grim  sort  of  ancient  humor.  We 
think  of  such  tales  as  of  the  old  robber  knight 
with  seven  sons  on  the  scaffold  ;  how  his  last 
request  of  the  Emperor  to  spare  his  sons  was 
answered  in  cruel  jest :  that  he  should  be  saved 
whom  the  father's  headless  trunk  should  ap- 
proach ^  and  how  the  condition  was  fulfilled 
with  all  seven. 

Of  course,  there  is  no  absolute  need  of  all 
this  interpretation.  In  any  case,  there  is  no 
mistaking  the  sprightly  beauty  and  poetic  treat- 
ment. But  there  is  surely  much  added  charm 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  special  association  in 
the  composer's  mind. 

The  melody  is  finely  varied  in  other  verses, 
and  returns  with  telling  climax  to  the  origi- 
nal one.  Then  comes  a  more  puzzling  canto 
of  our  ballad.  A  curious  theme,  made  for 
musing  mystery : 


In  Fagots  and  Cellos. 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

begins  in  basses  and  threads  its  mystic  and 
complex  way  through  the  varying  voices.  It  is 
not  simply  that  the  poet's  thinking-cap  is  on, 
after  the  lyric  burst.  It  is  a  wandering  strain 
of  ancient  prehistoric  things, — "  eine  alte  Rune," 
— tracing  its  fateful  paths  in  the  dim  world  of 
gods  and  men,  in  the  days  when  fate  hung 
heavy  o'er  both  races.  It  is  not  the  pondering 
on  these  things.  For  this  is  a  ballad.  It  is  the 
things  themselves. 

The  dark  phrase  winds  on  its  destined  course : 

Tn  Strings  and  Woodwind. 


Doubled  below 


and  now  merges  into  the  heroic  strain,  where, 
however,  it  still  holds  equal  sway. 

In  the  third  canto  is  a  new  element, — the 
human,  personal,  the  purely  lyric.     But  anon 
the  ancient  saying  sends  a  warning  reminder, 
325 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

and  the  glamour  of  legend  is  not  lost.     It  is  all 
poetic  in  the  highest  degree  : 


Woodwind  and  Basses.         (Violins.) 
-^         J?  S     J?      1 


"^m^ 


^ 


±3t 


J^= 


-m-' 


-r^ 


**=P-- 


-££^ 


i 


W 


Cellos  and  Basses  (below). 


^~ 


n 


r 


n 


Violas. 


^ 


%^M 


^^U 


^ 


It  sings  in  a  more  modern  vein. 

Now  the  first  verse  returns  in  a  brighter  key, 
with  more  brilliant  resonance.  Then  it  sinks 
into  the  mood  of  the  third  phase,  and  emerges 
once  again  as  at  the  beginning.  Towards  the 
end  are  quaint,  primitive  refrains  of  the  begin- 
ning of  the  first  melody,  with  its  answer,  a 
326 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

kind  of  "  Yes,  yes,"  again  and  again,  and  sug- 
gestions of  the  third.  The  ominous  second 
strain  has  vanished,  for  good,  indeed. 

In  its  absolute  isolation  from  the  rest  of  the 
symphony  the  Scherzo  is  all  the  greater.  Free 
from  attempts  at  connected  meaning  by  remi- 
niscent theme,  it  is  really  all  the  more  relevant 
to  the  general  plan. 

In  the  third  division  the  air  of  legends  has 
gone.  Its  very  absence  here  proves  their  reality 
before,  and  acquits  us  of  rhapsody.  Clearly, 
the  scope  of  the  symphony  broadens.  It  might, 
so  far,  have  been  all  in  the  realm  of  the  myth. 
Here  we  are  in  the  clear  sunlight  of  idyllic 
human  feeling.  And  it  is  absolutely  German 
to  the  core.  So,  probing  for  bearings,  we  think 
perhaps  of  a  "  German  Symphony,"  like  the 
"  Scotch"  of  Mendelssohn.  Nor  would  this  be 
far  wrong.  But  Schumann's  has  a  higher  and 
profounder  national  significance. 

The  Andante  melody  here — Nicht  schnell — 
is  pure  German  folk-song.  There  is  a  placid 
rest  from  earlier  mysticism. 

As  national  song  it  reminds  us  of  Schubert. 
But  it  has  that  special  vein  the  Germans  call 
327 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Nicht  schnell.  (Woodwind.) 


"  innig,"  which  was  Schumann's  own,  although 
it  in  nowise  touched  his  leaning  towards  musing 
thought.  And  here,  too,  is  contrast  with  the 
earher  symphony.  There  was  nothing  "  innig" 
about  primitive  legends. 

Like  most  Andantes,  this  is  of  lyric  sim- 
plicity. No  profound  depths  are  stirred,  as  in 
the  first  movement ;  and  no  bold  heights  are 
gained.  The  first  melody  is  merely  followed 
in  and  out  by  another  of  equal  simplicity,  with 
hardly  a  change  of  tonal  color : 
328 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Strings  with  accompanying  Horns  and  Fagots. 


In  the  middle  they  both  sing  together,  and  a 
new  answer  leads  into  a  phase  of  gentle,  intimate 
discourse,  of  which  this  new  strain,  a  simple, 
descending  figure,  is  the  principal  subject,  with 
many  digressions  and  lesser  topics.  The  second 
melody,  too,  is  evident  throughout,  so  that,  at 
the  end  of  the  talk,  the  first  one  returns  with 
a  new  freshness.  The  end  has  some  of  the 
friendly  touches  of  the  former,  and  of  the  dia- 
logue. It  is  all  clearly  a  ray  of  earthly  sun- 
light before  entering  the  cathedral,  in  the  fourth 
division. 


The    second    slow    movement    Is    marked 
"  Feierlichr     If  our  object  be  to  prove  the  ex- 
istence of  a  meaning,  we  need  say  little.     The 
very  direction — "  solemnly," — a  single  glance  at 
329 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  score,  show  the  intent  most  plainly.  And 
see  at  the  outset  the  utter  contrast  of  the  so- 
lemnity at  the  beginning  of  the  symphony  and 
here,  though,  in  both,  expressed  by  the  brass. 
For  there  it  was  the  quality  of  Waldhorn,  sacred 
to  the  religion  which  lurks  in  the  forest  from 
earliest  Teuton  ages.  Here  the  brass  is  the 
stern  dogma,  the  overwhelming  power  of  cathe- 
dral organ,  where  the  visible  architecture  is 
mirrored  in  the  massive  polyphony.  We  re- 
member Schelling's  definition  of  architecture : 
frozen  music.  Not  only  is  there  solemnity  of 
feeling  in  both  these  movements,  but  in  both  it 
is  religious.  Yet  could  there  be  a  greater  actual 
contrast  ?  Again  we  must  bow  before  this 
power  of  music  to  make  us  feel  the  strength 
and  quality  of  these  influences.  And  the  for- 
tunate tone-poet  can  simply  give  forth  directly 
their  essence,  without  the  words  which,  in  sacred 
things,  might  offend  others, or  rouse  the  prejudice 
of  bigotry.  Not  only  is  he  safer  in  music,  but 
much  more  powerful.  And  so  he  can  actually 
show  through  his  tone-poetry  the  soundness 
that  still  lingers  of  the  old  religion,  and  the 
stern  truth  of  the  new. 

To  be  just,  however,  there  is  undoubtedly  in 
330 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

this  episode  of  Schumann's  symphony  rather  a 
picture  of  mediaeval  German  church  spirit  than 
a  direct  utterance  of  personal  religion,  like  Bach's 
Passion  music.  There  is  clearly  a  sense  of  the 
picturesque ;  and  the  greater  stress  is  perhaps 
upon  nationality.  There  are  local  and  temporal 
limitations  in  the  religious  poem.  There  is, 
throughout,  the  constant  sense  of  dogma ;  no 
personal  melody  ;  all  fitting  in  a  perfect  system 
of  priest-lore ;  the  main  theme  discoverable 
being  a  short  fugal  one,  beginning  in   trom- 

Feierlich. 

Brass  with  pizzicato  Strings. 


lE£ 


=N= 


PP 


"^^E^ 


r 


— I- 


T 


— bi 
f   i 


i€=^b 


-^-?* 


H H 


^ 


-^ 


i^e:^ 


:t--t=lt-f: 


1-4- 


:f^ 


bones  in  awful  minor.  At  the  end  of  a  sen- 
tence all  join  in  a  loud  assenting  phrase,  which 
is  surely  nothing  but  the  quickened  theme ; 
it  suggests  an  overwhelming  Amen  from  the 
multitude  in  the  body  of  the  church,  eagerly 
331 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Whole  Orchestra  except  Ouoes. 
Flutes  in  upper  octaves. 


T     I 
I 


r 


responding  to  the  liturgy  of  chancel  and  choir^ 
Then  the  doctrinal  structure  really  begins  with 
its  colossal,  dazzling,  massive  net-work.  If 
it  is  puzzling  on  the  score  to  the  lingering 
glance  (which  is  the  wrong  attitude),  what 
must  it  be  in  transient  sound.  And  there  is 
no  end, — no  gentle  cadence  of  secular  tune, — 
on  and  on  voices  enter,  breaking  in  one  upon 
the  other,  make  an  eternal  progress.  These 
curious  changes  of  movement,  all  with  the 
same  theme  :  first,  in  simple,  march-like  rhythm, 
suddenly  twice  as  fast  a  motion,  but  with  great, 
heavy,  three-paced  swing ;  and,  finally,  with  the 
same  rate,  but  in  even  movement  again, — what 
are  they  ?  Different  doctrines  about  the  same 
central  truth  ?  Or  varying  attitudes  of  worship  ? 
But  there  is  always  one  central,  single  idea. 
332 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

We  cannot,  however,  ignore  the  constant 
gain  in  intensity,  together  with  actual  speed, 
of  a  certain  eagerness,  betrayed  in  strings 
trembUng  in  the  theme,  with  sustaining  horns ; 
more  and  more  a  personal  reahty  of  feehng, — 
and  then,  suddenly,  before  the  end,  a  breaking 
off  of  the  fateful  progress,  and  a  human  cry  in 
united  burst  in  new  key  or  color  of  tone ; 
then  back  to  the  former  march,  and  again  the 
interrupting  burst.  Strangely,  the  end  is  not  in 
massive  architectural  climax.  Rather,  the  last 
human  cry  has  prevailed  to  soften  the  former 
rigor,  and  the  first  phrase  has  a  certain  simplicity 
and  sincerity  of  Lutheran  chorale^  with  much 
diminished  conflict  of  voices,  with  hymn-like 
cadence. 

Finale. 

There  is  ever  the  danger  for  writer  and  reader 
to  forget  the  true  weight  of  interpreting  phrases 
and  figures ;  that  there  is  no  translation  of  fixed 
subject ;  that  the  real  content  is  the  general 
spirit  perceived  by  simple  enjoyment  of  the 
beauty  of  the  art-work.  With  this  in  mind,  we 
have  really  much  more  freedom ;  we  are  re- 
minded of  this  and  of  that ;  many  things  are 
suggested.     But  none  of  them  are  really  essen- 

333 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

tial.  Where  they  are  thought  of  by  the  com- 
poser ;  where  they  are  mentioned  by  him  or 
even  set  down  as  governing  subject,  there  is  the 
best  reason  for  holding  still  to  the  same  view 
that  they  are  not  absolutely  needful  to  the  right 
perception.  And  yet,  for  the  purpose  of  sug- 
gesting the  beauty,  the  sentient  meaning,  they 
may  be  of  the  highest  use.  Once  having  entered 
on  the  essay  of  telling  in  words  of  the  value  of 
a  work  of  art,  we  are  hopelessly  cramped  if  we 
are  restricted  to  the  mere  setting  forth  of  tech- 
nical structure.  Therefore,  our  figures  are  indis- 
pensable for  suggestion  ;  for  literal  interpretation 
they  are  worthless. 

It  is  well  to  think  of  this  once  more  in  this 
fifth  and  last  division  of  our  Symphony, — 
mainly  because  of  the  great  danger  of  definite 
and  final  association,  to  which  we  are  lured  by 
the  fine  relevance  of  this  movement  with  the 
first  four.  Having  given  fair  warning,  we  shall 
not  fear  to  deck  our  impressions  freely  with 
suggested  figures. 

At  the  very  beginning,  with  this  strong, 
simple,  virile  song,  with  eminent  brass,  and  free, 
rolling  bass,  there  is  one  German  word  that  ever 
recurs,  to  which  we  can  find  no  English  equiv- 

334 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Lebhaft. 

Strings,  Flutes,  Clarionets,  Fagots  and  Horns. 

(  Flutes  in  higher  octave.) 


alent,  which  we  can  only  describe, — burschikos. 
It  is  the  spirit  of  German  university  life.  As  it 
is  a  "  Rhine"  symphony,  by  the  master's  ad- 
mission, as  he  did  celebrate  the  old  minster  at 
Cologne,  we  are  probably  near  to  his  own  con- 
scious idea  with  our  word.  In  such  a  sym- 
phony, teeming  with  the  typical  ideal  life  of 
the  German,  this  element,  of  the  university 
spirit,  would  hardly  be  absent.  At  any  rate,  its 
main   qualities    are    here,   the   stirring,   soaring 

335 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


spirit,  fearless  of  the  cynical  world,  firm  with 
manly  tread,  and  the  rough  humor,  too ;  they 
are  all  here. 

But  this  is  not  all.  And  it  is  not  all  so 
simple  of  content.  Nor  is  it  necessary  to 
restrict  our  suggestion  to  the  academic  life, 
properly.  It  is  a  larger  view  of  the  bustling 
doings  and  thought  of  the  old  German  Rhine 
city,  sacred  to  higher  interests  and  ideals. 

The  choral  song  is  for  a  while  simple  in  its 
course,  and  needs  no  study  but  the  hearing. 
But  at  the  end  of  its  full  refrain  emerge  the 
four  horns  with  more  than  casual  theme,  while 
the  violas  are  supporting  in  their  own  livelier 
way : 


The  rest  all  take  it  up,  not  exactly  fugally, 
though  it  savors  strongly  of  the  cloister.  Surely 
it  is  a  reminder  of  the  solemn  old  cathedral 
phrase : 

336 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


In  Trombones. 


i 


:2p: 


T 

but  much  faster.     Then  as  answer  comes  the 
pert  humor  of  this  phrase : 

Strings  and  Woodwind.    (Doubled  above  in  Flutes.) 


iv,  • 


J   S  S  J      *  JjjU 


treated  with  the  same  fugal  suggestiveness ; 
ending  with  a  good,  honest  blare  from  the 
horns.  Now  we  are  back  in  the  march  spirit 
of  the  beginning.  And  here  is  a  longer  exten- 
sion of  an  earlier  episode  of  quieter  feeling, 
which  did  not  seem  important  before.  It  cer- 
tainly takes  away  from  the  masculine  harshness 
of  the  rest,  or  heightens  it  as  foil.  From  its 
close  succeeds  a  fine  antiphonal  shout  of  chords, 
as  all  the  wind  responds  to  wood  and  strings. 
Suddenly  this   is   tempered   to  hushed    minor 

aa  337 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

chords ;  in  their  midst  we  hear  something  hke 
the  old  cathedral  theme,  in  its  lighter  phase : 


Strings  and  Woodwind. 


(  Violas.) 


Then  the  comic  theme  struts  in  again,  here 
and  there,  high  in  piping  wood,  while  our  last 
quoted,  more  serious  motive  is  singing  low  in 
alternating  strings. 

No  apology  is  needed  for  seeing  here  the 
master  touch  of  quaint,  mediaeval,  scholasti- 
cism, with  comic  hue, — below  the  pious  priest, 
above  the  flippant  studiosus, — much  like  the 
famous  scene  of  the  monk  in  Schiller's  "  Wal- 
338 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

lenstein's  Camp."  Alas  I  as  soon  as  the  word  is 
said,  it  seems  too  much.  The  humor  is  not 
expressed,  of  course.  Perhaps  Schumann  did 
not  ever  dare  to  think  it  to  himself.  But  it  was 
there,  the  more  truly,  in  a  less  conscious  stage. 
Comic  may  be  too  strong  for  sprightly.  There 
is  certainly  the  quaint  neighborhood  of  the 
monastic  and  of  the  secular,  and  the  latter 
seems  to  predominate,  finally  ending  the  epi- 
sode in  a  melodious  blast  in  the  brass  of  true, 
honest  German  feeling : 

Woodwind  and  String.    (Doubled  above.) 


Added  to  all  these  themes,  really  the  sinew 
of  the  whole,  is  a  certain  constant  movement 
from  the  quieter  middle  of  the  first  song,  which 
softens  the  saucy  wit  of  the  one,  and  the  serious 
tone  of  the  other,  and  gives  to  the  whole  a 
friendly  kind  of  sincerity,  which  is  specially 
caught  and  summed  in  the  (last  quoted)  strain 
of  the  horns, — more  than  ever  at  the  last  time, 
from  full  heart  and  lungs. 

339 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

And  so  straight  on  into  the  first  chorus,  with 
the  same  vehement  sincerity,  with  its  succeeding 
joyful  and  friendly  phrases.  The  brass  have 
more  and  more  to  do.  Sometimes  they  are 
given  free  room  to  themselves  alone, — answered 
by  strident  strings.  When  we  seem  to  see  the 
end,  they  all  stop  for  the  last  verse,  which  begins 
with  thp  starting  of  a  heavier  and  more  vehement 
pace  in  low  strings,  in  stern  fugue  led  off  by 
fagots  and  two  horns,  followed  at  proper  inter- 
vals by  other  groups,  all  in  the  old  theme : 


Woodwind,  Brass  and  Strings. 


^ 


Sn 


-i — I — I — ! — I — I — ^-F-»-#    -    ^ 
-I — I      I      I  —I — I — I 1 — I — P— "-■- 


^^ 


^  Cellos.  ^iXiLLj 

In  they  come,  four  groups  and  more,  until 
we  can  no  longer  see  or  hear  them  distinct. 
Just  as  we  lose  the  sense  of  bearings  in  the 
architectural  mass,  they  join  into  a  closer  body, 
and  soon  are  shouting  united  a  last  acclaim,  all 
in  a  great  hymn,  which  is  neither  religious  nor 
340 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

secular.    Too  broad  for  either,  it  includes  them 
both. 

So  in  this  German  Symphony  of  the  Rhine 
seem  to  merge  all  the  inspiring  influences  of 
the  nation.  But  it  does  not  need  its  title.  It 
speaks  not  of  localities,  rather  of  memories  and 
of  aspirations,  which,  though  they  may  have 
special  association,  belong  to  us  all. 


34^ 


XI 

MENDELSSOHN 

The  critic  cannot  always  be  optimist  and 
eulogist.  The  kind  of  catholicity  is  not  good 
that  tries  to  accept,  to  approve  everything. 
The  truth  is  that,  whether  we  will  or  no,  we 
cannot  say  our  honest  say  without  some  implied 
disparagement.  If  it  is  impossible  to  admire 
without  exaggeration,  it  is  easy  to  blame  by 
mere  silence.  Our  vehement  praise  of  one  is 
often  the  severest  word  against  another.  If  we 
were  treating  of  music  in  general,  our  praise  of 
Mendelssohn  would  be  unbounded.  If  he  had 
written  no  symphonies,  we  should  not,  in  omit- 
ting, ignore  him.  But  in  our  special  field,  there 
is  danger  that  by  faint  praise  we  may  do  some 
damning.  The  very  high  place  we  are  guarding 
for  the  symphony,  holds  us  to  an  honest  telling 
of  our  impression.  After  all,  what  the  man 
may  lose,  the  art  must  gain. 

Mendelssohn  was  all  but  master  in  the  high- 
est sense.     It  may  be  unwise  to  make  shelves 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

of  lesser  and  greater  poets  ;  it  certainly  is  to  try 
a  rigid  ranking.  But  we  must  be  clear  in  mind 
about  the  word  we  are  often  using,  that  implies 
such  a  mastery  of  the  art  medium,  that  artisan- 
ship  is  merged  in  clear  poetry,  where  we  can  no 
longer  see  the  lines  of  conscious  toil.  This  is, 
indeed,  most  rare.  Then  there  are  lesser  and 
greater  forms.  There  may  be  writers  of  most 
expressive  songs.  Others  may  have  the  power 
over  profound  architecture  of  simultaneous 
voices.  But  this  must  be  quickly  seen.  Those 
works  wherein  the  whole  structure  is  of  another 
art,  not  created  by  the  musician,  cannot  test 
and  prove  the  true  master  like  those  which, 
absolute,  independent  in  tones  alone,  evolve 
with  inner  power  a  perfect  structure  all  their 
own.  Thus  a  writer  merely  of  greatest  song, 
of  oratorio,  or  of  opera,  has  not  measured  his 
power  in  the  pure  tonal  art,  which  is  most  diffi- 
cult because  of  the  very  absence  of  words. 
Here  the  very  perfection  of  form,  rounded  by 
a  certain  unconscious  process  of  crystallization, 
attests  its  truth  and  greatness, 

A  common  mistake  as  to  this  special  power, 
this  question  of  form,  must  not  be  passed  over. 
Strange  to  say,  it  is  a  mistake  found  as  often 

343 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

with  good  musicians  as  with  laymen,  perhaps 
oftener.  A  very  respectable  composer  of 
national  note  once  gave  the  author  his  recipe, 
which  was :  Get  your  themes  and  fit  them  in 
the  established  moulds.  In  other  words,  be 
original  about  your  melodic  subjects,  and,  in 
harmonic  treatment,  too,  be  your  sincere  self; 
but  in  form  follow  the  strict  directions  of  tradi- 
tion. There  are  no  other  forms  in  the  music 
world  than  these  sacred  ones  :  the  sonata,  rondo, 
dance,  and  song;  and,  of  course,  there  never 
will  be. 

It  is  most  strange  this,  because  it  betrays 
utter  lack  of  the  very  idea  of  composition.  So 
there  is  this  constant,  almost  hopeless  confusion 
oi  form,  the  abstract  quality,  and  special,  con- 
crete forms  and  moulds.  Just  so,  by  exact 
parallel,  is  the  confusion  of  thought,  the  pro- 
cess, with  special  thoughts,  so  that  the  scholar, 
who  has  never  wondered  beyond  his  precise, 
literal  logic,  can  see  none  of  this  highest  of 
man's  process,  unless  it  be  uttered  in  the  verbal 
language  of  makeshift.  It  is,  this,  the  main 
cause  for  the  low  conception  of  music.  What 
does  it  mean  ?  he  says.  You  cannot  tell  me 
precisely  in  words  ;  therefore  it  means  nothing. 

344 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

He  does  not  see  that  all  that  his  literal  language 
does  is  to  suggest  by  the  shifts  of  a  limited  lot 
of  conventions,  by  vain  labels  aimed  at  high 
ideas,  by  combining  these  in  rough  images,  the 
inner  thought  that  is  sorely  struggling  for  true 
utterance.  He  cannot  see,  or  he  surely  will 
not,  that  this  very  utterance  is  far  clearer,  more 
joyous  in  the  language,  not  of  conventional 
shifts,  but  of  pure  tonal  beauty.  Finally,  he 
has  never  reflected  that  in  his  logic,  sacred  to 
the  language  of  prose,  the  true  essence  and 
secret  power  is  the  sequence  ;  that  this  sequence 
may  be  where  the  terms  and  premises  are  other 
than  verbal ;  indeed,  that  there  can  be  no  greater 
scope  for  this  sequence  of  man's  highest  thought 
than  in  melodies,  their  contrast,  the  depth  and 
complexity  of  their  combination,  and  in  the 
complete  cycle  of  their  roaming  career  within 
a  tonal  poem. 

To  return  to  the  former  question,  we  find 
such  a  mistake,  not  of  the  layman,  but  of  the 
respected  musician.  Originality  he  praises  in 
theme  and  in  the  agreement  of  simultaneous 
tones.  But  this  quality  of  all,  which  is  the 
final  test  of  the  master,  he  makes  a  mere  matter 
of  school-boy's  cramming.     So  we  can  never 

345 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

remember  too  often  that  the  quality  of  spon- 
taneous utterance  in  form  true  to  the  subject,  is 
utterly  distinct  from  memorized  schedules.  In- 
deed, it  is  hostile  in  this  sense,  that  every  true 
composition  must  vary  somewhat  from  the  out- 
line of  any  earlier  work  for  its  own  individuality. 
A  man  had  far  better  take  prosaic  themes  and 
let  them  flow  by  their  own  vital  motion  to  an 
organic  whole,  than  lay  new  melodies,  however 
beautiful,  in  the  dead  mould  of  older  works. 
So  many  evils  spring  from  this  that  great  stress 
must  here  be  allowed.  For  men  will  either 
insist  on  the  rigid,  fatal  formalism,  or,  revolting, 
will  welcome  all  abandon  of  complete  structure. 
The  true  reason,  I  suppose,  lies  in  the  diffi- 
culty of  perception.  And  it  is  not  very  different 
in  architecture.  Just  as  this  quality  is  the 
highest  to  conceive,  so  it  is  hardest  to  perceive. 
In  the  *'  frozen  music,"  a  child  may  admire,  in 
a  cathedral,  the  embossing  of  outer  doors,  or 
the  beauty  of  interior  detail ;  a  youth  will 
catch  the  bold  leap  of  the  tower ;  a  man  will 
feel  the  massive  dignity  of  vaulted  aisle.  But 
he  must  be  almost  a  builder  himself  who  will 
prove  the  completeness  of  rounded  whole. 
Now  in  music  it  is  actually  still  more  difficult. 

346 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

For  the  cathedral  is  ever  before  us.  But  in  the 
symphony,  the  first  tones  have  vanished ;  en- 
chanted with  the  present,  we  forget  the  past ; 
and  how  shall  we  ever  conjure  it  all  together 
to  feel  the  test  of  perfect  sequence  and  rele- 
vance ?  Still,  hard  or  easy,  we  cannot  lose 
sight  of  this  greatest  of  elements.  And,  indeed, 
it  may  not  be  so  bad  a  problem.  We  are  apt 
to  proceed  too  much  on  the  need  of  conscious 
study.  We  forget  that  the  greatest  enjoyment 
is  most  unstudied.  The  truth  is  here  almost  a 
paradox.  The  more  the  hearer  knows,  the 
more  he  has  a  basis  of  earlier  study,  the  more 
careless  may  be  his  enjoyment.  The  beauty  of 
melody,  the  fitness  of  contrasting  subjects,  the 
cycle  of  rounded  path  he  will  feel  without  the 
need  of  more  consciousness  than  the  creating 
master.  But  let  there  be  no  false  notion  of  the 
ignorant.  High  art  requires  mind  to  enjoy  as 
well  as  to  create.  Once  for  all,  would  there 
were  an  end  to  those  nauseous  phrases  of  the 
Philistine,  proud  of  his  ignorance,  that  he 
does  not  understand  music,  but  knows  what  he 
likes.  It  must  not  be  thought  that  there  is 
something  inherent  in  the  natural  man  more 
than  in  the  natural  animal,  whereby  he  may 

347 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

catch  great  thoughts  without  thinking.  It 
would  be  a  very  false  gospel  to  preach  that 
great  music  is  very  easy  to  see  by  a  certain 
trick.  The  masterpieces  of  music  must  be 
approached  in  far  humbler  spirit.  It  is  all  part 
of  the  original  purpose  of  the  art,  whether  of 
entertainment  or  of  highest  moral  message. 
If  it  is  the  former,  it  were  an  unworthy  kind  of 
materialism  to  spend  so  much  time  in  mere  prepa- 
ration for  an  amusement.  So,  again,  this  talk 
of  the  Philistine  about  the  lack  of  meaning  in 
music,  this  easy  judgment  of  the  blissful  igno- 
rant on  what  they  like,  is  all  irrelevant.  They 
do  not  know  because  they  have  not  looked. 
If  they  were  not  so  serious,  they  would  remind 
us  of  the  famous  Sam  Weller,  who  did  not  see 
his  father  in  court  when  looking  straight  at  the 
ceiling. 

Mendelssohn  is  the  very  type  to  test  this 
mastery.  He  seemed  to  have  all  the  qualities, 
if  any  one  ever  did.  And,  indeed,  many  of 
them,  of  all  but  highest  value,  are  sadly  out  of 
vogue  in  modern  days,  such  as  the  much 
neglected  elements  of  absolute  clearness,  and 
of  thoroughgoing  refinement  in  detail  and  in 
spirit.  He  is  charged  with  lack  of  depth  and 
348 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

of  intensity  of  feeling.  In  reality,  he  was  most 
sincere  in  his  very  freedom  from  that  pseudo- 
passion  that  seeks,  in  its  false  whirl,  to  throw  a 
cloud  of  dust,  covering  great,  primal  faults. 

Mendelssohn  was  most  lucid  in  many-voiced 
building  and  strong  'in  massive  treatment ;  his 
power  over  the  palette  of  orchestral  colors  was 
bred  in  his  very  fibre.  With  all  these,  which 
led  to  success  in  other  paths,  he  lacked  in  per- 
sonal quality  to  employ  them  in  their  highest 
use.  In  his  wonderful  expression  of  local  color 
and  his  objective  depiction,  he  was  more  affected 
by  an  outward  stimulus  than  by  his  own  sub- 
jective feeling.  Mendelssohn  made  no  advance 
in  the  outline  of  the  symphony  over  Haydn. 
It  is,  therefore,  significant  that,  correspondingly, 
he  shows  no  inherent  strength  in  his  symphonic 
feeling  or  ideas.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  driven 
to  find  emotional  content  in  historic  sentiment 
or  in  scenic  description.  These  subjects  belong 
more  properly  to  the  lesser  overture,  and  here 
Mendelssohn  was  in  the  first  rank. 

It  is  under  the  head  of  form  that,  it  seems, 
Mendelssohn  falls  short  of  the  measure  of  mas- 
ter. And  here  he  serves  wonderfully  to  illustrate 
the  great  virtue  of  the  symphony.    If  we  could 

349 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

use  another  word,  we  should  be  glad, — one  less 
coldly  technical.  After  all,  it  is  exactly  the 
same  quality  we  have  been  searching  for  in  each 
succeeding  master,  that  of  live  continuity,  of 
agreement  of  all  regions  of  the  work  in  the 
common  purpose.  There  is  nothing  mysterious 
about  it ;  nor  is  it  the  trick  of  handicraft.  It 
is  all  a  matter  of  sincerity,  intensity  of  purpose. 
If  a  child  has  a  message  to  give,  and  he  is 
absorbed  in  its  truth  and  value,  he  will  say  it 
without  faltering  to  many  people.  The  halting 
will  come  when  the  natural  impulse  of  com- 
munication is  weakened.  The  principle  is 
exactly  the  same  as  to  the  clear,  continuous 
homogeneity  of  a  work  of  art.  In  the  master 
symphonies  the  motive  purpose  was  strong 
enough  to  sustain  a  clear  thread  and  plan 
throughout. 

The  real  trouble  is  not  the  lack  of  form,  but 
the  want  of  feeling,  of  the  content  of  the  mes- 
sage. The  outward  incoherence  is  merely  the 
sign  of  original  weakness.  None  of  the  ele- 
ments of  the  art  of  music  are  so  keen  a  test  of 
sincerity  of  the  prompting  feeling  as  that  of  har- 
mony of  outline.  It  is,  in  the  spontaneous 
sense,  the  true  justification  of  the  whole, — like 
350 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  final  answer  in  algebra,  which  verifies  the 
proposition. 

It  will,  of  course,  be  said :  How  may  this 
spontaneous  perfection  be  distinguished  from 
the  mere  imitation  of  old  exemplars  ?  It  is 
much  the  same  question  as  in  other  imitations, 
of  greater  or  lesser  art,  from  poetry  to  lace. 
Sometimes  the  earmark  of  the  false  is  the  very 
strictness  of  its  adherence  to  the  true.  Thus, 
when  we  said  above  that  Schumann's  Noveletten 
were,  perhaps,  his  greatest  work,  it  was  from  this 
very  conviction  of  the  powerful  coherence  of 
the  various  episodes  in  a  plan  of  radical  novelty. 

Finally,  in  a  symphony,  in  the  very  highest 
meaning,  our  quality  of  form  does  not  relate  so 
much  to  the  completeness  of  the  several  move- 
ments, as  to  their  mutual  relation  in  the  whole. 
It  is  something  like  the  old  truth,  that  two  halves 
do  not  make  a  whole,  that  of  four  perfect  sym- 
phony movements  the  whole  may  be  actually 
less  than  each  of  the  parts,  in  poetic  value. 

There  is,  then,  no  technical  lack  nor  want  of 
detailed  beauty  that  we  find  in  Mendelssohn. 
The  greatest  charge  we  can  bring  against  him 
is  that  his  symphonies  do  not  fulfil  our  highest 
idea  of  the  form.  Even  so,  there  is  no  denying 
351 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

their  enchanting  beauty ;  the  sincerity  of  their 
clearness,  thoroughness,  self-restraint ;  the  high 
purity  of  their  tone ;  the  poetic  charm  and 
brilliance  of  treatment.  We  must  merely 
withhold  that  highest  of  all  qualities,  a  strong, 
pervading,  uniting,  subjective  feeling. 

In  other  ways  Mendelssohn  showed  that  he 
had  not  that  intensity  of  personal  feeling  which 
expresses  itself  in  highest  form,  breaking,  in  the 
hands  of  later  masters,  the  fetters  of  the  earlier, 
and  extending  their  limits.  Rather  he  genially 
reflected  other  poetic  conceptions,  as  in  his  rare 
music  for  the  Midsummer  Night's  Dream. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  Mendelssohn  was 
sincere  in  his  very  moderation.  He  had  none 
of  the  false  prophet,  who  works  himself  into  a 
conscious  state  of  false  passion.  In  his  balance 
of  fine  mean,  he  differs  strikingly  from  most 
of  the  masters  we  have  treated.  He  had  not 
the  profound  sympathy  of  Beethoven ;  but  he 
had  more  than  Schubert.  The  quality  which 
is  somewhat  opposed,  that  of  light  fancy,  where 
imagination  runs  away  with  personal  feeling,  he 
shared  with  Schubert  not  unequally.  But  he 
had  not  the  bold  scope  of  Schubert's  mind. 
He  was  rather  the  orthodox  musician  of  his 
352 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

century,  setting  its  sacred  dramas  and  services, 
celebrating  picturesque  scenes  and  striking  his- 
tory. But  the  writing  of  oratorios  in  the  great 
sense  had  been  accomplished  in  the  previous 
century.  Here  he  was,  after  all,  a  follower. 
He  was  original,  individual,  chiefly  in  his  special 
extension  of  Programme  Music.  We  have 
seen  Schumann's  attitude.  Mendelssohn's  was 
poetic  in  the  highest  degree.  But  it  was  not 
of  sufficient  dignity  for  the  great  forms  of  pure 
instrumental  music.  It  fitted  better  the  looser 
overture.  Therefore  it  seems  that  his  greatest 
works  are  his  scenes  from  the  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream  and  his  striking  overtures  with 
scenic  and  historic  titles.  Mendelssohn  had 
little  touch  with  the  great  stirring  spiritual  and 
intellectual  discoveries  of  his  time.  He  did  not 
utter  and  represent  them  as  did  Beethoven  and 
Schubert  in  their  age,  and  Schumann  in  a  lesser, 
national  way  in  his.  But,  then,  neither  did  Men- 
delssohn represent  certain  downward  tendencies. 
The  symphony  must  demand,  once  for  all, 
the  subjective  vein.  This  does  not  say  that 
there  may  not  be  a  special  title,  implied  or  ex- 
pressed. But  the  treatment  is  of  the  inner, 
individual  view,  not  the  mere  outward  depiction. 

33  353 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Here  the  Scotch  Symphony  falls  short.  Its 
only  continuous  purpose  is  the  Scotch  character 
of  the  melodies.  This  is  a  purely  external 
unity  ;  it  does  not  affect  the  personal  conception 
of  the  poet.  However  exquisitely  beautiful 
and  tempting  with  its  rich  depth  and  brilliant 
complexity,  we  must  not  invite  the  reader  to  a 
hopeless,  search  for  such  an  inner  meaning  as 
the  symphony,  in  our  view,  must  have.  But 
the  Italian  Symphony  here  stands  distinct. 
Evidently  the  intent  here  was  not  the  outward, 
national  likeness  of  tunes.  There  must  have 
been  a  certain  Teutonic  subjective  conception 
in  the  musician's  mind,  which  pervades  most 
of  the  work.  It  has  the  true  plan,  if  not  the 
complete  fulfilment.  It  was  not  a  mere  reflec- 
tion of  Italian  skies.  It  is  rather  the  inner 
picture  which  every  German  poet  has  of  the 
ideal  land  of  beauty  and  art.  Mendelssohn 
has  certainly  suggested  this. 

Italian  Symphony  {No.  4). 

The  name  "  Italian,"  unlike   many  musical 
titles,  was   constantly  used  by  the   composer. 
The  work  is  a  direct  expression  of  that  enchant- 
ment for  the  ideal  land  of  beauty,  joy,  and  art 
354 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

which  has  held  Germans  captive  from  the 
earliest  invasions  of  Goths,  through  the  at- 
tempts at  conquest  of  a  Barbarossa,  to  the 
poetry  of  a  Goethe. 

Exactly  opposed  to  the  "  Scotch,"  there  is  no 
actual  trace  of  Italian  nationalism  in  the  music. 
It  is  German,  a  pure  German  expression  of  de- 
light. So  the  symphony  is  not  graphic  or 
picturesque ;  it  is  a  highly  poetical  utterance 
of  the  German  idea  of  Italy. 

The  first  theme,  in  Allegro  Vivace^  gives  the 


Strings. 


Woodwind,  increased  above. 


t-X 


i — ^ — -(--— « 1— fc- 


^^i 


:«: 


4=*: 


i^- 


-r::^ — r- 


355 


■■I     I     F 


•!/• 

»•-: 


—I — 
^1 


1^1^ 


—I — 
at 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

stamp  of  simple  joyousness  to  the  whole  move- 
ment. It  strikes  the  leading  note,  which  is  re- 
flected in  various  lesser  melodies.  The  texture 
of  the  whole  is  wonderfully  close.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  trace  outwardly  the  subtle  similarity 
and  relation  of.  melodies.  The  first  builds  in 
the  very  beginning  a  stirring  climax  on  its 
own  theme,  resounding  at  last  vigorously  in 
the  basses.  Throughout,  there  is  the  element 
of  airiest  lightness.  This  is  first  suggested  by 
a  fluent  phrase  at  the  close  of  the  main 
melody.  By  deft  turns  and  by  the  trick  of 
sequence  it  evolves  ever  new  phrases,  hardly 
like  the  first  save  in  the  merry  pace.  It 
gives  the  whole  movement  a  wonderful  fresh- 
ness. Ever  it  bubbles  forth  in  a  new  guise. 
You  cannot  mistake  its  hidden  personality. 
The  second  melody,  which  continues  the 
spirit  of  the  first,  is  sacred  to  the  woodwind. 


Clarionets  and  Fagots. 


S=iv 


^s 


Sf 


J^I>- 


±1=5: 


— l^^-^s — I- 


=i^ 


=^£ 


356 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

though  the  strings  are  lightly  dancing  about 
playfully. 

The  melody  extends  into  purest  song,  quite 
merging  the  dance  at  times.  Faintly  a  solo 
clarionet  calls  from  the  distance,  and  presently 
the  merry  chorus  of  the  first  theme  are  all 
about,  quite  drowning  with  their  festive  bustle 
the  more  delicate  note  of  the  second. 

The  best  of  it  is  the  sparkling  discussion 
after  this  presenting  of  themes  has  been  repeated. 
It  begins  with  a  restless  phrase  which  has 
threaded  its  way,  we  cannot  tell  how,  from  its 
source  in  the  cadence  of  the  first  melody.  But 
it  is  too  volatile,  too  incessant  in  its  shallow 
chatter  to  take  the  lead  ;  so  it  soon  subsides  into 
mere  companionship  with  a  theme  of  greater  dig- 
nity and  distinction,  which  now  enters.  Again 
we  feel  its  kinship  to  the  others,  and  its  fitness 
in  the  whole  ;  but  we  cannot  trace  it  outwardly : 


«y 


m=^^f'aj 


-^■it — -tt^ — =i — i— #— «= 


'-'^^E^.^^^^^m 


S'=i^f=-"t2^'""£S'=2i7 


357 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Around  it  develops,  in  the  strings  alone,  an 
episode  purely  fugal,  yet  without  the  least  odor 
of  the  lamp,  nay,  with  all  the  fragrance  of  the 
wood,  full  of  the  truest  poetry.  The  minor 
gives  it  a  touch  of  sombre  romance.  From  the 
almost  prosaic  hilarity  of  the  beginning  we 
have  plunged  into  the  land  of  strange  legends, 
into  dim  mystery  of  history  that  merges  into 
myth.  Into  the  midst  the  first  theme  bursts, 
first  in  the  wood,  then  in  the  brass,  alternating ; 
still  the  fugal  play  continuing,  yet  all  so  spon- 
taneous, fresh,  and  smooth  that  you  do  not 
think  of  counterpoint  unless  you  look  at  the 
score.  It  is,  indeed,  that  highest  art,  which 
makes  least  show  of  means  and  of  difficulties, 
concealing  them  beneath  the  wealth  of  feeling. 

This  stage  of  the  two  themes  is  of  highest 
interest,  as   it  is  fought  now  with   successive 


Woodwind  and  Strings  (doubled  above) 


B 


fe=E5t 


■^^^rr 


$^- 


•:3::3t 


Cellos  and  Basses. 


358 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

assertion  of  one  and  the  other,  now  with  equal 
insistence  of  both  at  the  same  time. 

They  are  so  different  in  humor :  the  fugal, 
full  of  dark  romance,  the  first  melody  mere 
holiday  gladness. 

Strange  to  say,  the  official  second  theme  has 
no  part  in  the  discussion.  But  later,  when, 
after  a  lull,  the  original  order  of  tunes  re-enters, 
the  second  appears  in  a  new  way,  sung  as  duet 
of  cellos  above  violas.  But  even  here  the 
darker-hued  fugal  theme  intrudes  its  humor, 
first  lightly  in  the  minor.  But  as  it  grows  more 
vehement,  it  is  squarely  attacked  by  the  first 
melody  in  the  original  key.  After  a  struggle 
of  a  few  bars,  the  latter  triumphs,  and  holds  its 
cheery  sway  to  the  end. 

The  melody  of  the  second  movement  is  a 
perfect  lyric  embodiment  of  a  phase  of  Italian 
poetry  as  it  appears  to  the  German  mind.  Bur- 
dened with  a  wealth  of  legendary  feeling,  it 
belongs  to  a  rare  type  which  is  indefinable ;  in 
folk-song  it  is  sometimes  a  setting  of  a  strange 
ballad  of  foreign  land.  We  remember  that 
other  type  we  found  common  in  Beethoven  and 
Schubert,  in  the  Seventh  and  in  the  C  Major, 

359 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


and  we  wonder  at  the  idea  of  thus  arraying  all 
great  melodies.  I  believe  you  would  find  the 
melody  of  mystic,  almost  philosophic  search ; 
another  class  of  dim  legend  or  ballad  as  here ; 
another  of  intimate,  friendly  confidence.  We 
might  try  to  analyze  what  makes  this  legendary 
sound,  but  we  prefer  intuition  to  hard  proof 

AnJante  con  moto. 
Fagots  and  Violas  (doubled  an  octave  above  in  Oboes). 

-LJ-4 


^?^g 


1P. 


^ 


:^ 


•rt 


^ 


^-n 


^^■ 


-zi- 


-^ 


-^ — * 


^^ 


Cellos  (doubled  an  octave  below  in  Basses). 


i^^^S 


^ 


g 


tx^ 


Much  of  the  charm  lies  in  the  stately  move- 
ment of  strings,  while  the  song  proceeds  above 
in  the  wood.     Later,  the  violins  take  up  the 

theme,  and  the  flutes  join  the  obligator  somehow 
360 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


picking  out  a  shadowy  counter-melody  in  the 
movement.  Indeed,  it  is  all  melody,  like  the 
simple  verses  of  a  ballad,  telling  its  sad  story, 
without  reflection  or  overflowing  emotion.  So 
the  next  verse  is  mysteriously  told  by  strings 
alone,  in  the  minor,  the  violins  singing  the  story 
to  the  fateful,  ever  present  accompaniment  of 
the  lower  strings : 

In  Strings  alone.  ;~> 


3 


s 


^CEga 


-^-s^ 


'fijT^ 


^i^^^ 


^ 


5: 


^ 


P^ 


-=H^ 


There  is  a  queer  bit  of  humor  at  the  end, — 
pure  Mephistophelian.  He  must  have  sold  his 
soul.  Immediately  follows  a  touching  strain, 
all  in  human  major, — a  new  melody  in  the 
clarionets. 

As  it  flows  along  in  more  and  more  intimate 
vein,  it  is  rudely  stopped  by  minor  strokes  which 
herald  the  original  ballad,  though  not  in  regular 
verse, — mere  vague  memories.  Once  more  the 
human  strain  enters  with  all  the  contrast  of 
361 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Strings. 

sharpest  colors.     The  whole  ends  in   the  full 
atmosphere  of  legendary  mystery. 

The  Scherzo  is  bucolic  and  playful,  with 
idyllic  humor.  But  the  relevance  is  not  clear. 
There  is,  to  German  ears,  unmistakably  some- 
thing of  their  own  folk-song  in  the  melody, 
and  this  more  specially  because  the  cadence  is 
that  of  a  well-known  Volkslied.  Indeed,  the 
Scherzo  seems  a  mere  setting  for  the  gem,  the 


362 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


^ 


^^ 


'-=T- 


w--^ 


Tirif 


U 


* 


jr 


i 


Trio,  with  its  intensely  romantic  melody,  for 
horns  and  bassoons.  It  supplies  all  that  we 
crave  in  the  placid  simplicity,  almost  plainness 
of  the  former.  And  as  if  to  convince  us  that 
the  Scherzo  is  but  foil  to  the  Trio,  the  latter 
pervades  the  close  of  the  movement: 


Trio.  Horns  and  Fagots. 


Violins. 


But  of  the  whole  it  must  be  admitted  that 
its  place  in  the  general  plan  is  not  clear.     It 
does  not  seem  to  have  a  value  of  its  own,  pro- 
portioned to  each  of  the  other  movements. 
363 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

The  SaltareUo  is  conceived  in  that  special 
vein  of  Mendelssohn's,  of  lightest  fancy  and 
rhythm,  so  different  from  the  humor  of  Beetho- 
ven. Mendelssohn's  dance  seems  that  of  an 
imaginary  race,  which  knows  of  nothing  but 
joyousness ;  Beethoven's  is  of  human  beings. 

Illustrations  and  examples  are  dangerous, 
tying  the  listener  to  accidental  association. 
Yet  the  temptation  is  too  great  to  suggest  in 
the  SaltareUo  the  humor  and  poetic  antics  of 
Hawthorne's  "  Faun."  It  is  based  largely  on 
the  rhythm  of  the  main  melody : 

/  leggier 0. 
Presto.         y'^r~       Flutes. 


gE^^&fea^ 


-5^!^! 


Woodwind. 


JU-£l;r3: 


^SEj=:3=4^'=l 


^1.#-  V-«~#-  y-i.#- 


It  is  one  of  those  phrases  that,  lacking  in 
definite  beauty,  seem  capable  of  endless  exten- 
sion and  variation.  In  the  incessant  motion  we 
are  almost  reminded  of  the  Finale  of  Schubert's 

364 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

great  symphony.  But  we  dismiss  the  thought 
before  it  is  uttered.  The  intermediate  episodes 
are  of  no  special  importance.  In  the  middle  is 
a  striking  passage,  very  similar  in  conception 
and  construction  to  the  fugal  one  in  the  first 
movement,  where,  on  the  figure,  imitated  in 


i=i=^^^^^^ 


strict  canon,  there  is  built  what  is  really  an  old- 
fashioned  round  in  dance-rhythm,  at  first  only 
in  strings,  gradually  embracing  the  woodwind, 
the  whole  forming  one  of  the  longest  episodes 
in  the  symphony, — an  orgy  of  dance  and  of 
counterpoint. 

Altogether  it  seems  that  a  noble  plan  is  sug- 
gested and  sustained  with  vigorous  feeling  and 
high  art  through  the  first  two  movements.  In 
the  third  it  seems  to  halt.  The  fourth  has  a 
certain  clear  agreement  with  the  name  "  Italian." 
In  its  purely  objective,  almost  graphic  treatment 
it  might  stand  with  more  perfect  fitness  as  the 
last  of  a  suite  of  independent  tone-pictures, 
than  as  the  conclusion  of  a  subjective  poem, 
such  as  the  first  half  of  the  work  promises. 
36s 


XII 

BRAHMS 

The  symphony  was  not  in  agreement  with 
the  reactionary  attitude  of  the  Romanticists. 
With  the  return  to  Classicism  it  finds  its  origi- 
nal importance  again.  Mendelssohn  showed 
his  lack  of  the  true  symphonic  thought.  Cor- 
respondingly, his  form  was  largely  mere  imitation 
of  the  old.  By  this  double  test,  Schumann  is 
more  nearly  in  line  with  the  symphonic  mas- 
ters. As  his  untitled  works  expressed  truer 
symphonic  feeling,  so  his  freedom  in  treatment 
and  in  structure  was  path-breaking.  Still,  one 
often  feels  that  he  was  only  about  to  realize  the 
highest  grasp.  He  was  finding  his  way.  He 
was  transplanting  his  Romantic  spirit  in  broader, 
classic  fields.  In  so  far  as  this  spirit  is  reaction- 
ary, impulsive,  intense,  specialized,  its  forms  are, 
needs,  abrupt,  fragmental.  There  must  be  this 
perfect  correspondence  between  form  and  feel- 
ing.    You    cannot    pour    new   wine    into    old 

bottles.     The   writing  of  symphonies   by  the 
366 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Romanticists  was  a  little  too  conscious.  Chopin 
wisely  refrained  entirely.  They  wrote  because 
they  felt  a  challenge  rather  from  without  than 
from  within.  Schumann,  however,  the  most 
profound  of  them,  gradually  as  his  sentiment 
was  deepening  and  his  vision  broadening,  was 
growing  to  fit  the  mantle  of  the  classic  masters. 
The  real  heir,  it  is  often  said,  was  to  be 
another,  a  younger,  coming  at  a  time  ripe  for 
mature  survey  of  the  great  preceding  schools 
which  group  about  Bach,  Beethoven,  and  Schu- 
mann. Instead  of  reacting  from  the  classic  and 
its  forms,  he  mastered  them  from  the  outset. 
He  grasped  more  thoroughly  than  any  other 
the  polyphonic  depth  of  Bach's  style.  He  was 
the  first  to  unite  it  with  the  structural  freedom 
and  boldness  of  Beethoven.  We  have  seen 
how  the  vein  of  Bach's  musical  thought,  pro- 
foundest  of  all,  had  never  found  a  worthy  out- 
line in  pure,  unsung  music*  Brahms  gave  it 
the  new  dress  of  secular  form.  Finally,  he 
absorbed  the  spirit  of  the  Romanticists,  which 
was  still  crying  for  more  complete  utterance ; 
so  that,  while  classic  in  his  form,  he  is  often 


*  See  chapters  on  Schumann. 
367 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

called  a  disciple  of  Schumann.  His  work  is 
strictly  in  fulfilment  of  Schumann's  ideals. 

It  sometimes  seems  that  in  a  purely  Romantic 
period  there  can  be  little  of  final  truth.  And 
thus  the  symphony  does  not  specially  suit  it. 
It  is  the  age  for  fragmental  bursts,  breaking  the 
leading  strings  of  a  too  limited  classicism. 

When  first  you  come  into  a  garden,  unknown 
in  boundary  and  contents,  you  dash  here  and 
there  in  reckless  enjoyment,  like  the  bee  sipping 
irresponsibly.  This  is  Romanticism,  with  its 
singing  of  separate  beauties,  its  predominance 
of  pure  feeling.  When  once  you  begin  to 
trace  outlines,  limits,  order,  a  meaning,  you 
enjoy  the  garden  as  a  whole,  not  in  wild,  frag- 
mental profusion.  This  is  classicism,  with  pre- 
dominance of  form.  Of  the  two,  the  latter  is 
final ;  the  former  necessarily  precedes. 

The  symphony  is  a  final  summing,  a  com- 
plete view.  It  is,  in  its  true  nature,  cosmic,  not 
national.  Here  lies  the  reason  for  that  strange 
lack  of  patriotism  in  the  poet  Goethe.  Now, 
there  must  be  in  a  classic  period  a  classic  re- 
action, a  strong  element  of  intellectuality. 
There  is,  besides  the  mere  utterance  of  emotion, 

the  problem  of  reconciliation.     As  against  in- 
368 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

tensity  of  feeling  there  must  be  breadth  of 
vision.     Depth  is  more  needful  than  velocity. 

Romanticism  is  like  the  minus  quantity  in 
algebra.  The  natural  reaction  from  it,  romantic 
rebellion  from  romanticism,  brings  back  classi- 
cism. The  more  novel  and  fresh  Brahms  is 
in  his  feeling,  the  more  he  suggests  the  serene 
classic  repose.  But  it  is  in  the  style,  the  man- 
ner of  his  working,  that  we  must  expect  the 
sharpest  difference.  And  it  is  here  that  he  is, 
perhaps,  most  inspiring.  Schumann  wrote  of 
Brahms's  youthful  works  under  the  title  "  New 
Paths."  It  is  quite  possible  that,  in  a  narrower 
sense,  he  is  merely  breaking  paths  for  others. 
But  he  is  heroically  pointing  and  urging  the 
right  way,  though  the  narrow.  He  insists  on 
uttering  his  truth  within  the  perfect  language  of 
one  of  the  arts,  not  in  the  polyglot  of  all.  It 
is  by  internal  mastery  in  all  its  dimensions, — 
in  linear  melody,  in  extent  of  form,  in  depth 
of  architectural  polyphony  that  he  raises  the 
art,  strongest  and  profoundest  of  all,  to  a  plane 
higher  than  ever  before. 

Brahms  seems,  at  times,  greatest  for  this  very 
direction  of  his  art,  for  the  courage  of  his 
intellectuality.  Every  one  is  afraid  nowadays 
a4  369 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

of  high  art  and  of  its  defence.  We  dread  the 
slur  of  pedantry.  Low  art  seems  to  be  the 
cry.  Let  us  not  beheve  it,  though  the  masses 
are  against  us.  In  art,  democracy  does  not 
count.  If  a  man  is  charged  with  intellectual 
stress,  that  ought  to  bring  a  presumption  of 
greatness,  not  of  weakness.  Romanticism  pays 
^he  penalty  for  its  mad  rebound  in  the  extreme 
abandon  of  the  principles  and  quality  of  high 
art.  The  looseness  of  Schubert,  the  intensity 
of  Schumann,  the  realism  of  Berlioz,  were 
naturally  followed  by  modern  amorphism  and 
sensationalism. 

Because  a  man  is  difficult  to  perceive,  is  felt 
by  the  few,  is  no  reason  against  his  greatness. 
On  the  contrary,  it  speaks  something  for  his 
originality,  for  his  freshness  and  truth.  It  wa? 
Brahms's  great  deed  to  lead  back  to  the  high 
level  of  the  masters, — the  only  vantage-ground 
from  which  music  can  answer  the  charge  of 
lack  of  meaning  and  worse.  Yet,  by  inherent 
vigor,  the  novelty  of  his  poetry,  on  his  first 
appearance,  was  such  as  to  flatter  the  extreme 
Romanticists,  led  by  Liszt,  that  a  new  hero  had 
joined  their  ranks.  No  outward  act  of  artist 
is  so  impressive  as  this  resolute  step  of  the 
370 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

youthful  Brahms  in  turning  sharply  away  from 
that  dominant  school  of  shallow  aims. 

His  life  and  work  are  a  rebuke  to  the  com- 
mon modern  idea  of  art  which  has  brought  it 
such  reproach,  so  that  it  is  commonly  heard 
that  a  poet  is  necessarily  abnormal.  The  work 
of  Brahms  is  of  the  kind  to  show  that  high 
art  is  the  very  essence,  the  true  abiding-place 
of  pure  reason.  We  have  heard  too  much  of 
the  linking  of  art  and  poetry  with  irresponsible 
abandon  to  overwrought  feeling,  too  much 
dissociation  of  art  and  ethics.  It  is  time  the 
world  sees  that  the  highest  of  all,  the  most  per- 
manent, though  not  the  first  to  reach  applause, 
is  the  art  which,  yoking  profound  intellectual 
mastery  with  wealth  of  feeling,  stands  for  ful- 
ness of  experience,  held  in  rein  by  a  clear  sight 
and  a  moral  balance. 

Just  how  this  quality  appears  concretely  and 
actually  in  the  music,  we  shall  see  later  in  the 
reading  of  the  symphony.  In  general,  it  is 
by  an  almost  complete  return  to  the  mode  of 
writing  of  Bach,  except  in  the  matter  of  struc- 
tural outline.  We  remember  how,  with  the 
great  master  of  the  church  style,  music  was 
a  perfect  polyphonic  tissue  of  themal  voices. 
371 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Then  came  the  sharp  secular  reaction,  with 
pure  monophony :  a  single  melody  with  imper- 
sonal accompaniment,  of  itself  without  mean- 
ing. After  all,  there  can  be,  ideally,  little  dig- 
nity in  a  stereotyped  harmonic  figure,  however 
beautiful  the  melody. 


So  far  as  an  ideal  theory  of  music  goes, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  superiority  of  the 
church  style.  The  question  is  of  its  test  in  the 
reality  and  truth  of  its  poetic  content.  We 
saw  a  return  in  the  great  secular  masters  to 
architectural  polyphony.  But  with  all  its  gran- 
deur, it  was  not  a  permeating  element  of  their 
art,  which  was  still  based  on  the  idea  of  a  single 
melody  with  harmonic  support.  Duality  or 
plurality  of  themes  existed  merely  successively, 
or  horizontally ;  with  the  Churchmen  it  was 
simultaneous,  or  vertical.  We  saw,  too,  how 
none  of  the  secular  masters  were  affected  by 
Bach's  influence  and  example  before  Schumann, 
who  absorbed  it  far  more  than  Mendelssohn  or 
Chopin.  So  far  as  the  quality  of  style  may  be 
summed  in  a  word,  that  of  Brahms  is,  in  essence, 
372 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

a  reconciliation  of  Bach's  mode  of  thought  with 
secular  freedom  of  outline,  that  is  well-nigh  ideal 
in  its  perfection.  It  goes,  in  this  respect,  as  far 
beyond  Schumann  as  the  latter  went  beyond 
Mendelssohn.  One  is  tempted  to  view  a  Brahms 
as  a  possible  Bach  symphony. 

Still,  one  cannot  gauge  the  artistic  value  and 
power  of  Brahms  in  proportion  to  this  twofold 
master,  however  impressive.  It  must  be,  first, 
a  question  of  the  poetic  reality.  You  cannot 
write  music  or  measure  it  by  a  theory,  however 
ideal.  A  man  may  have  a  perfect  outward 
mastery  and  lack  poetic  content ;  though  this 
is  always  found  in  imitators,  who  follow  the 
outer  manner  of  another.  Brahms  was  no  dis- 
ciple ;  for  Bach  had  written  no  symphonies. 
Again,  however,  we  remember  that  in  periods 
of  formal  development  poetry  often  lagged. 
So  it  may  be  that  Brahms  has  prepared  the  way 
for  a  greater. 

Even  of  Bach  the  highest  value  seems  to  be 
an  influence  which  reaches  the  world  only 
through  the  works  of  other  masters.  So  it  may 
be  with  Brahms.  His  indirect  power  may  be 
the  greatest.  There  is  no  possible  denying  the 
nobility  of  his  aim  and  attitude  in  modern  days. 

373 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

There  is  a  modern  striving  for  unrest,  for 
cyclonic  effect,  for  barbaric  brute  force,  for 
emotion  with  a  capital  E.  All  true  sentiment 
must  be  unconscious ;  and  so  the  effect  upon 
the  hearer  must  be  unpremeditated.  You  can- 
not expect  to  see  the  emotion  ;  it  must  not  be 
too  palpable.  We  must  not  be  able  to  say, 
pointing,  here  it  is ;  else  we  must  also  say,  here 
it  is  not.  We  must  not  regard  it  as  a  frenzy, 
as  some  definite,  individualized  thing.  The 
truest  emotion  is  one  which  is  most  subtle,  not 
seeking  to  trumpet  its  war-cry,  to  conquer  an 
audience  by  the  violence  of  its  noise.  On  the 
contrary,  careless  of  immediate  reception,  it  is 
the  expression  of  the  personal  feeling,  soberly 
controlled,  not  roused  to  unmanageable  excess. 
We  do  not  care  to  see  a  man  make  big  eyes 
or  roar  himself  into  a  state,  either  at  home  or 
in  the  concert. 

We  must  not  get  into  a  false  way  of  measur- 
ing emotion  by  its  brute  force.  A  work  is  not 
great  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  kettle- 
drums, as  Berlioz  seemed  to  think.  The  true 
feeling  is  like  the  still  small  voice  ;  it  is  the 
essence  of  a  great  personality  unconsciously 
betrayed  by  highest  art. 

374 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

We  recur  thus  naturally  at  our  close  to  a 
vital  point  of  the  beginning :  the  ethical  phase 
of  the  musical  art.  Many  deny  this  view  to 
art  generally.  Few  will  persist  as  to  poetry. 
It  seems  clear  that  if  we  agree  that  the  content, 
not  the  mere  language,  is  all-important,  we  must 
insist  on  its  soundness.  In  music  this  has  been 
entirely  ignored.  If  a  noble  personality  can  be 
expressed  in  music,  so  can  an  ignoble.  In 
music  as  in  poetry  it  is  possible  by  an  extrava- 
gance of  outward  beauty  to  bribe  an  audience 
to  listen  to  the  morbid,  unsound  outpourings 
of  a  weak  spirit.  This  is  another  modern 
danger.  We  listen  too  much  with  exclusive 
attention  to  the  rapturous  beauty  of  the  sound. 
We  do  not  think  of  the  ethical  quality,  nor  of 
the  ethical  effect.  If  we  did,  we  should  give 
less  prominence  to  music,  for  example,  of  a 
Chopin.  The  question  is  all  one.  The  strongs 
sound  spirit,  like  the  true  sentiment,  is  tested 
by  thorough  mastery  of  the  art.  It  proves  the 
quality  by  its  divine  patience. 

Brahms  stands  out  strangely  cold  against  the 
intense  extremism  of  moderns.  But  the  nobility 
of  his  position  lies  in  a  classic  rebuke,  con- 
temptuously indifferent,  to  the  hysterical  men 
375 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

of  tears  and  sighs,  of  rage  and  storms,  in  his 
perfection  of  form,  in  plan  and  in  detail.  There 
is  a  giant  power,  a  reposeful  mastery  without 
strain,  without  lack  of  a  corresponding  strength 
and  breadth  of  feeling.  The  manner  of  his 
writing  is  the  result  of  his  poetic  personality ; 
the  latter  is  not  fitted  to  the  formen 

At  times  there  is  a  preponderance  of  the 
workman  over  the  poet,  as  there  was  in  Bach 
and  in  Mozart.  This  suggests  that  he  may  be 
a  Mozart  for  a  future  Beethoven.  Yet  there 
is  a  pervading  personality  in  the  originality  of 
his  melodic  thought,  and  in  the  homogeneity 
of  his  style.  He  it  is  who  has  rescued  the  art 
from  the  abuse  of  false  schools  by  following 
the  toilsome  path  which  all  masters  must  tread. 


376 


XIII 

BRAHMS  (Continued) 

Symphony  {No.  2)  in  D  Major. 

Once  more  let  us  strictly  carry  out  our  con- 
stant plan,  reading  the  new  master  purely  and 
absolutely  from  the  score  of  one  of  his  works, 
taken  at  random,  seeing  no  comments  on  the 
music  nor  on  the  man,  so  that  from  the  most 
perfect  evidence  we  may  get  our  impression, 
first  of  the  symphony,  then  of  the  poet.  This 
new  figure,  writing  in  the  clear  air  of  to-day, 
who  is  spoken  of  in  the  same  breath  with  Bee- 
thoven and  Schumann,  what  can  he  have  to 
say  that  is  comparable  to  their  thought  ?  And 
it  must  be  new.  To  echo  them,  even  to  add 
corollaries  to  their  truth,  would  not  make  him 
a  master. 

Our  first  sense  is  of  blended  simplicity  and 
novelty, — the  latter  what  Schumann  meant  by 
neue  Bahnen.  At  the  same  time  it  is  of  an  old 
primeval  feeling.  The  expression  is  all  new ; 
the  sentiment  is  of  all  time.  But  above  all  is 
377 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

that  direct,  unaffected  simplicity  of  melody 
which  we  found  stamped  on  Beethoven  ;  the 
spontaneous  thought,  without  pretence  or  evi- 
dent effort.  The  color  is  the  mellow,  placid, 
legendary  quality  of  horns  and  fagots. 

The  very  beginning,  the  first  three  notes  in 
the  bass  are  most  unpremeditated.  Nationally, 
the  melody  is  undoubtedly  German, — that 
broad,  even  sweep,  losing  its  accent  in  the 
syncopation  of  an  endless  cadence ;  an  utter- 


HoRNS  AND  Fagots. 

Allegro  non  troppo. 


Clarionets.     (Doubled  above  in  Flutes.) 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

ance  of  the  ancient  Teutonic  feeling  of  Wagner 
with  the  classic  dignity  of  a  master.  It  is  not 
the  modern  romance ;  there  is  in  the  placid 
horns  the  suggestion  of  the  heroic  in  repose. 

Little  is  here  of  the  vehement  contrasts  of 
the  Schumann  Romanticism.  It  is  a  calm  neo- 
classicism,  with  all  the  workmanship  of  the 
Bach  style.  There  is  an  entirely  new  poetry, 
clearer,  more  illumined,  coming  forth  from 
Romantic  caves  and  dells,  enlightened  by  the 
revelations  of  a  time  that  makes  havoc  with 
old  fancies  and  illusions.  It  is  distinctly  broader, 
yet  not  quite  with  the  humanity  of  a  Beetho- 
ven,— lacking  his  strong  morale :  more  national, 
too,  in  color  than  Beethoven,  in  spite  of  differ- 
ence in  time,  and  in  this  respect  more  special 
and  romantic.  Yet  it  has  more  than  the  mere 
German  spirit.  There  is  a  new  breath  in  its 
conventional  sentiment,  as  if  including  the 
Slavonic,  with  its  freedom  of  tone  and  rhythm. 
But  it  is  all  northem  ;  there  is  no  recovery  from 
the  reaction  against  Italian  domination.  And 
there  is  always  the  tinge  of  Hungarian  light- 
ness,— clear  against  German  heaviness. 

Soon  appears  a  melody  in  the  strings,  there- 
fore human  and  more  modern ;  the  heroic 
379 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


quality  is  suspended.  But  the  key  is  the  same  ; 
there  is  no  progress  in  tonal  residence.  It  is  all 
in  the  shadow  of  the  first  melody ;  it  is,  as  yet, 
no  new  episode. 


Strings  with  Sustain- 
ing Brass. 


■p  dolce. 


at=: 


"^ 


-•-•-f-J-i- 


Flutes. 


1=^ 


m 


4JA- 


t 


itztzf: 


We  know,  however,  that  the  themes  here 
have  not  the  official  importance  they  had  in 
Haydn  and  Mozart.  Constantly  we  find  sev- 
eral melodies  where  it  is  difficult  to  decide  which 

has  the  clear  title  to  the  nominal  rank.     Ofi:en 

380 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

it  seems  that  the  function  of  the  old  second 
melody  is  divided  among  several.  There  is  one, 
strictly  second  in  succession,  contrasting  in 
character  though  not  in  key,  whose  main  busi- 
ness later  is  to  weave  about  the  first  melody,  in 
simultaneous  harmony,  the  architectural  tissue 
of  the  discussion. 

The  real  second  melody  comes  after  duly 
solemn  preparation,  down  in  cellos  and  violas. 
In  mood,  it  is  a  return  to  the  primeval  air  of  the 
main  subject,  especially  when  repeated  in  the 


Strings 
P  dolce 


(Melody  in  Cellos  and  Violas.) 


woodwind,  trebled  in  hollow  octaves.  It  is 
distinctly  the  episode  of  the  movement,  an  out- 
ing from  the  main  theme.  Though  beginning 
gently,  it  has  the  germ  of  power,  and  rousing 
with  its  plain  figure : 

381 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


g 


-r=g 


-< — d- 


===EE«z^: 


■jz-—^- 


repeated  through  various  syncopation : 


it  reaches  a  climax  of  heroic  effect,  with  sharp 
and  rough  gait,  with  a  strangely  nervous  motive 


Doubled  in  Strings. 


tr      f  '  *  -f  * 

(of  which  we  shall  speak  later),  lapsing  soon 
into  rhythmic  background  before  a  phrase  of 
slow,  even  swing : 

Rhythmic  Clarionets,  Horns,  and  Violas. 
(  Violins,  the  second  time.) 


md&. 


t^ 


^: 


Fagot,  Cellos,  and  Basses. 


lit 


■^ 


/ 


'f=f 


382 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


Li^=it=i#=^r 


Violins  doubled  below. 


.^^ 


fp-^P^r 


But  slowly  and  dimly  do  we  feel  here,  in  the 
bass,  another  phase  of  the  figure  of  the  episodic 
melody.  The  effect  is  splendid,  a  kind  of 
feudal,  heroic  pace,  well  set  and  maintained. 
It  is  like  a  crusaders'  march,  banners  fluttering 
together,  men  tramping  in  step.  Throughout 
is  the  spirit  of  Barbarossa  and  of  mediseval 
story.  Suddenly  steals  in  the  gentle  flow  of 
the  second  melody,  now  in  serener  major, 
through  which  we  return  to  the  beginning  for 
a  rehearsal  of  melodies. 

With  Brahms  we  must  vary  a  little  our  atti- 
tude. The  infinitesimal  detail  of  this  poly- 
phonic net-work  is  such  that  the  broad  view,  as 
in  Schubert's  C  Major,  loses  too  much  of  the 
beauty,  especially  in  the  age  when  Brahms  is 
still,  to  many  of  us,  a  new  enigma.  There 
may,  too,  be  an  ulterior  purpose  with  us  to  see 
383 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

something  concrete  of  this  novel  style.  It  may 
be,  as  we  have  hinted,  that  there  is  more  of  the 
artisan  than  the  poet.  But  the  line  cannot  be 
drawn. 

In  any  case,  a  nearer  knowledge  can  but 
help.  We  must,  then,  magnify  our  view  (or 
hearing)  at  least  for  a  few  periods,  until  we  are 
accustomed  to  this  new  plan  of  highly  defined 
detail.  Indeed,  if  we  once  take  account  of  the 
workmanship,  as  such,  there  is,  I  believe,  more 
bewilderment  of  architecture  in  Brahms  than  in 
any  other  master  of  all  time.  Not  only  do  you 
have  this  pervading  unity  of  small  detail,  but  at 
the  same  time  the  broad  lines  of  the  general 
plan,  and  the  poetic  unity  of  the  whole  work. 
It  is  as  if  Brahms  had  written  his  work  once 
from  the  structural  stand-point,  and  then  had 
entirely  worked  over  the  whole,  point  by  point, 
with  minute,  almost  invisible  perfection.  It 
seems  hardly  possible  for  one  creating  mind  to 
have  at  once  this  double  sense :  one  pervading 
plan  in  the  big,  another  in  smallest  execution. 
Brahms  is  probably  far  the  greatest  example  of 
the  saying  that  genius  is  an  infinite  capacity 
for  work.  Either  kind  of  unity  would  seem 
to  suffice  even  for  our  high  standard.  Brahms 
384 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

actually  combines  both.  Yet,  in  itself,  all  this 
is  mere  workmanship.  Its  real  value  must  lie 
in  its  unconscious  use  for  utterance  of  a  poetic 
conception. 

A  few  glimpses  will  give  a  hint  of  this  per- 
vading perfection  of  detail.  To  show  it  in  full 
would  need  almost  a  description  of  every  note 
in  the  work. 

We  remember  the  innocent  little  phrase  be- 
fore the  first  melody : 


g^^^ii 


In  a  curious  way,  with  all  our  enjoyment  of 
the  melodies  and  their  structure,  the  further  we 
go,  looking  at  lesser  figures,  the  more  we  are 
magnetized  by  the  constant  reappearance  of 
this  motive  in  every  guise,  until  we  wonder 
whether  this  is  a  symphony  in  three  notes.  It 
is  as  if  in  a  house  of  larger  lines  of  beauty,  we 
caught,  at  second  and  later  views,  the  strange 
omnipresence  of  some  arabesque  curve,  of  hid- 
den meaning,  on  ceiling,  wall,  and  floor,  large 
and  small,  now  all  but  disguised. 

In  the  first  quotation  we  saw  it  creep  in,  at 
beginning  and  end,  with  least  possible  show. 
35  38s 


SYMPHONIES  AIS      THEIR  MEANING 


Throughout  the  cadeii       rom  the  first  melody 
we  meet  it.     In  the  lor.g  dr 
cannot  escape  it  magnified : 


we  meet  it.     In  the  lor.g  drawn  out  chords  we 


Flutes  and  Oboes. 


-^     -#- 


P 


s=a== 


:4 


Drum 


1E3 


,_ij_^_i. 


-A 


P    Bra 

I 


=^ 


a 


-L— U- 


±=4: 


^'t 


Presently  we  see  it,  even  where  it  is  not,  as 
when  the  sun  is  in  our  eyes.  But  surely  the 
first  three  notes  of  the  second  melody  are  but  a 
quicker  pace  of  the  same  motto ;  for  at  its  close 
the  original  tempo  appears  clearly.  And  now  it 
comes  thick  and  fast,  until  the  second  theme 
brings  a  rest.     But  the  nervous  phrase  which 


i^ 


leads  the  crusaders'  march  is  again  a  shorter 
form  of  those  first  three  notes.  It  is  not  good 
to  go  farther  in  this  analysis,  which  is  too  gram- 
matical for  real  enjoyment.    We  can  now  have 

a  dim  consciousness  of  the  significance  of  the 
386 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

master's  constant  treatment.  Of  course,  with 
him  it  was  the  mere  simpHcity  and  economy  of 
highest  art.  Somehow,  it  seems,  more  con- 
sciousness is  needed  to  perceive  than  to  create. 
We  get,  too,  a  sense  of  that  strangely  firm 
power  of  sequence,  more  subtle  even  than 
Schumann's,  though  without  his  passionate  in- 
tensity. With  Brahms  it  brings  a  hidden,  yet 
strong  connection  of  distant  regions  of  the  work, 
which  is  felt  rather  than  thought.  In  a  true 
symphony  the  various  movements  reinforce 
each  other.  We  shall  find  a  light,  cast  from 
the  last  movement  upon  the  first. 

It  must  be  that  in  the  discussion  is  the  meas- 
ure of  his  genius.  But  so  complex  is  the  fine 
filigree  of  his  poetic  diction  that  one  needs 
the  elbow-room  of  a  book  to  tell  of  a  single 
work.  We  must  be  content  with  a  quicker 
and  cruder  view.  His  symphony  is  a  kind  of 
great  modern  fugue,  where  hardly  a  phrase  is 
not  a  melodic  fragment.  Brahms  has  reduced 
to  the  minimum  what  we  might  call  the  irrele- 
vant machinery,  rhythmic  and  harmonic,  as  dis- 
tinct from  melodic  text.  Yet  he  is  never  dry ; 
there  is  always  the  personal  and  poetic  quality, 
though  on  a  steady  plane,  with  few  picturesque 
387 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

heights.  One  of  the  traits  that  stamp  him  is  the 
masterly  sustaining  of  vein :  the  magnificence 
of  his  continuous  and  complete  workmanship. 
He  is  very  different  from  Schumann  in  tem- 
perament ;  much  more  equable ;  less  intense. 
Wonderful  are  his  vast  Olympian  levels ;  but 
they  do  not  rise  as  high  as  Schumann's  Gothic 
peaks. 

Quickly  we  view,  after  repeated  statement, 
how  he  slowly  climbs  from  sombre  minor  of 
the  first  part  of  the  original  melody  with  steady 
insistence  to  a  glorious  march  in  the  second : 


More  than  ever  are  the  images  of  that  first 

motto,  ever  in  new  rhythmic  guise.    That  broad 

multiplicity  of  rhythm   is  new  with   Brahms. 

Then  comes  the  relief  of  the  idyllic,  flowing 

melody,  the  unofficial  second,  but   in  minor, 

answered  by  the  motto  on  high,  in  full  sway, 

almost  in  stern  rebuke,  in  its  slow  sounding  of 
388 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


the  first  three  notes  of  the  former.  Suddenly 
break  in  thunderous  unison  strokes  of  an  early 
phrase : 


ff  Doubled  above  and 
twice  below. 

Gradually,  after  faint  efforts,  the  first  melody 
flows  along  with  all  its  old  gentleness  and  a  new 
soothing  calm,  now  not  succeeded  but  entwined 
by   the    liquid    beauty    of   the    second.     And 

Clarionets  (with  lower  Horns). 


Violas 


P  dolce.  f:  •     ^ 


Cellos  and  Lower  Basses. 

thus  we  are  in  the  last  singing  of  themes  in 
original  manner,  once  more,  too,  with  the  grand 
march  of  crusaders.  Later  is  a  burst  of  great 
sweetness  and  power  of  modulation,  followed 
by  a  most  moving  groping  through  uncertain 
worlds  of  thought.  Once  more  breaks  in  the 
389 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


light  of  main  melody,  now  in  a  new  charm  of 
berceuse  swing, — still  with  the  motto  below : 


Fiu  tranquillo.  In  Strings. 


There  is  a  great  tenderness  in  the  ending, — a 
flood  of  true  feeling  enshrouding  all  the  art. 

Adagio  non  Troppo. 

Bach  lovers  know  how  in  many  works  he  is 
merely  the  wonderful  workman,  until,  all  in  an 
unexpected  spot,  perhaps  all  unknown  to  him- 
self,— almost  he  seems  ashamed  of  it, — some 
true  bit  of  feeling  comes  along,  nigh  lost  in  the 
mass  of  the  other.  Something  of  this  there  is 
in  Brahms.  He  seems  to  begin  almost  indif- 
ferent to  beauty  of  theme ;  and  when  we  are 
nearly  discouraged,  in  an  unimportant  place 
suddenly  comes  the  human  song.  Brahms  is  a 
little  like  Wagner,  as  with  both  their  song 
390 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

seems  merged  into  discourse,  their  poetry  drawn 
out  into  prose.  But  with  Wagner  the  tissue  is 
too  often  iteration ;  with  Brahms  it  is  a  con- 
tinuous polyphonic  woof. 

The  melody  here  seems  to  have  the  deceptive 
quality, — a  less  promising  beginning ;  the  real 
beauty  comes  in  the  answer.  Here  in  the  third 
bar  is  that  golden  vein  of  diatonic  melody,  that 
inexhaustible  source  of  highest  lyric  utterance  : 

Adagio  non  troppo. 
Downward  melody  in  Cellos. 


Upward  melody  in  Fagots. 


Cellos  sustained  above  in  Woodwind. 


h^ 


^-=^ 


391 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

It  is,  after  all,  the  true  natural  utterance. 
Then,  too,  it  is  that  Brahms  way  of  coming 
from  dim  uncertainty  to  clear  light. 

And  so  it  flows  on,  pure,  self-contained, 
melodic  discourse.  The  horn  takes  up  the 
thread  of  the  last  word  of  repeated  theme,  the 
rest  join  successively.  You  do  not  think  of  the 
fugue,  but  they  are  all  talking,  beginning  in 
turn  on  the  same  subject.  When  the  discussion 
is  becoming  technical,  all  are  set  at  peace  with 
that  same  altogether  satisfying  ending  of  the 
first  melody  (quoted  above),  just  like  the  kindest 
word  of  wisest  parent. 

A  curious  Adagio  quality  this  of  Brahms.  It 
is  similar  to  that  rare  vein  of  Beethoven  that  we 
prized  most.  Brahms  has  not  quite  his  deep 
sympathy.  He  is  more  impersonal,  like  Schu- 
bert. There  is  something  of  German  folk-song 
here ;  but  it  seems  broader,  more  ancient  in 
source,  almost  Pagan.  There  is  much  of 
modern  feeling  for  Teutonic  legend.  But  the 
conception  is  higher  and  finer  than  most  of 
such  poetry. 

A  new  verse  comes  now ;  hardly  a  clear-cut 
melody.  Curiously,  it  has  exactly  the  nature 
of  the  first.  Beginning  in  a  questioning  mood, 
392 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


it  grows  more  anxious,  and  then  is  stilled  by 
another  broad,  soothing  cadence : 


Violins,  Violas,  and  Cellos. 

s4. 


m^E^jE^M. 


j^,.^  J_J1 


^^jS£ 


-a^T 


-l=t 


•0-    -f-  \       \j 

p  espress.    \         [^  ^ 


gg^^^^EEz-p 


m 


bSj 


^^^ 


5g^ 


w 


m 


E« 


?P: 


f=f 


^ 


Once  more  the  questioning,  grubbing  spirit 
is  roused,  rearing  now  a  stormy  whirl  of  rebel- 
lious doubts.  He  is  laid  by  a  last,  calm,  broad 
verse  of  the  main  song. 

Allegretto  Grazioso  {^asi  Andantino). 

In  Andantes  there  is  a  new  Brahms.  Archi- 
tectural depth  must  yield  there  to  lyric  direct- 

393 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


ness.  In  the  slow  movement  is  the  true  poet 
who  shows  that  German  folk-song  is  not  ex- 
hausted, as  he  does  elsewhere  in  his  glorious 
Lieder;  that  it  has  new  strains,  which  come  from 
the  border-land  of  newer  races.  In  these  song- 
movements  is  tested  the  sentiment  of  the  poet ; 
in  the  Allegros,  the  broad  view  and  structural 
power.     * 

In  the  Scherzos  there  is  a  second  departure, 
almost  as  great  as  in  the  first.  The  humor  of 
Brahms  seems  largely  an  expression  of  Hun- 
garian lightness.  There  is  complete  absence 
of  polyphony.  He  begins  with  child-like 
dance  with  odd  accent : 

Allegretto  gracioso  i^Quasi  andantino). 


pizz 

Cellos. 

There  is  much,  top,  of  Tyrolese  drollery.  It 
is  all  a  jolly  bourgeois^  not  to  say  peasant  fun. 
There  is  none  of  the  serious  humor  of  Beetho- 
ven,    Yet  we  do  not  mean  at  all  that  it  does 

394 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


not  belong  as  justly  in  the  symphony.  Such 
prohibition  would  be  intolerable.  A  symphony 
even  can  bear  no  philosophic  intent,  unless  it 
be  quite  unconscious.  In  the  lightness  of 
Brahms's  pleasant  frolic  there  is  much  real 
poetry. 

The  humor  is  in  all  kinds  of  smallest  touches ; 
sometimes  it  is  a  teasing  play  of  voices ;  at 
others,  of  groups  of  instruments, — a  humor  of 
orchestration.  You  would  not  catch  it  in  a 
piano  arrangement,  as  there  are  sudden  modula- 
tions or  surprises  of  accent.  From  the  dainty 
waltz  melody  of  the  beginning  there  darts  out 
a  queer,  quick  dance  in  even  time : 

Prfsto  ma  non  assai. 
Violins,  Violas,  and  Cellos. 


^ 


t^T^ 


USI 


^-^- 


-i!*-^ 


s^ 


It  is,  of  course,  a  prank  at  masquerading  the 
first  tune.  Some  touches  defy  telling.  Right 
here,  in  the  next  bar,  the  strings  try  to  run  off  to 

395 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

another  key,  another  play-ground.  The  wood 
won't  let  them.  The  strings  urge,  the  wood 
refuse.  Then  they  run  off  and  for  a  moment 
play  strutting  soldiers.  But  it  is  all  too  light 
for  heavy  words.  On  returning,  the  first  waltz- 
like dance  has  a  new,  delicate  pathos,  where  a 
second  voice  discourses  sweetly  in  flowing 
measure  fitted  to  the  slow  glide  of  the  theme. 

A  rough  bit  of  barbaric  play  interrupts  in 
reckless  Presto.  It  jangles  in  our  Western 
ears.  We  lose  our  sense  of  tonal  bearings,  and 
are  glad  to  return  once  more  to  the  gentler  pace 
of  the  German  dance. 

Allegro  con  Spirito. 

In  the  Finale  is  undoubtedly  the  historic 
color  and  the  mediaeval  swing  of  the  beginning. 
With  all  the  danger  of  finding  fixed  meanings, 
there  is  no  doubt  of  this,  that  Brahms,  of  course, 
all  unconscious  in  the  creating,  stands  in  the 
highest  branch  of  the  highest  art  for  that  modern 
return  to  the  spirit  of  Teuton  legend  which  has 
a  strange  power  over  our  minds  to-day,  which 
has  been  almost  a  dominant  poetic  subject  of 
the  century.  With  Brahms  it  has  a  great  breadth. 
He  had  much  of  the  Ossian  feeling.  Undoubt- 
396 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

edly  his  geographical  position  helped  him.  Born 
in  the  farthest  north  of  Germany,  he  visited  the 
South,  and  settled  and  died  in  the  far  East. 

If  we  are  asked  to  show  evidence  of  this 
theme  in  Brahms's  poetry,  we  may  be  helpless 
in  a  legal  sense.  To  our  own  conviction  appeals 
most  the  very  quality  of  the  melodies,  which, 
instead  of  modern  romantic  sweetness,  have  a 
distinctive  rough  breadth,  and  a  strangeness 
which  cannot  speak  of  modern  things.  Sim- 
plicity is,  of  course,  of  all  ages ;  therefore,  at 
the  least,  it  does  not  jar  on  an  archaic  feeling. 
It  is  strange  that  with  a  similar  breadth  in 
Brahms  and  in  Beethoven,  we  think  of  the 
latter  as  looking  forward  ;  in  the  former  only 
do  we  feel  the  historic  spirit.  The  truth  is, 
these  periods  differ  totally.  There  was  no  retro- 
spection early  in  the  century.  It  was  all  for 
new  ideas  and  ideals.  To-day  there  is  a  con- 
stant longing  for  the  sanctity  of  old  concep- 
tions. The  modern  is  the  practical  and  stereo- 
typed ;  in  the  ancient  lies  the  poetic  truth. 
Brahms  realizes  to  the  full  this  feeling.  He  is, 
thus,  representative  of  his  age ;  his  was  in  pure 
music  the  unconscious  impulse  that  drove 
Tennyson  to  the  King's  Idylls  and  Wagner  to 

397 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  Nibelungen  Epic ;  and  this  is  the  burden 
of  the  symphony. 

The  first  melody  enters  in  bleak  unison  of 
all  the  strings : 

Allegro  con  spirito.    STRINGS. 


JD  jo/z'ti  z/oc^. 


^ 


-#-  -#- 


a^=g=^vrf 


ES 


i 


rjt 


Basses  an  octave  below. 


^ 


a=U.J=i=i 


n 


«=f 


-r — r 


f 


i 


-f--J£. 


F^F^p 


In  its  stiffness,  its  set,  cramped  energy,  it  has 

the  feudal  feeling  of  the  first  Allegro.     When 

the  melody  has  a  learned  counter-theme,  the 

atmosphere  is  more  monastic.     It  has  much  of 

398 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

complexity  and  close  texture.   But  it  is  bubbling 
with  melody  and  rhythm. 

We  soon  find  that,  strangely,  the  first  four 
notes  correspond,  as  motto,  to  that  of  the  first 
movement.  We  do  not  know  whether  we 
ought  to  notice  that  the  first  three  notes  are  in 
both  movements  the  same.  So  we  have  every- 
where, in  all  sorts  of  garb,  this  phrase : 


Through  a  misty  change  of  scene  we  are  led 
to  the  second  melody,  which  is  surely  one  of 


Larzamente.    Strings 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

the  simple,  diatonic  kind.  Still,  the  motto  is 
ever  present. 

With  smooth,  sweeping  flight  it  lightly  wings 
aloft  in  successive  curves  into  a  climax  of  power 
that  did  not  seem  to  lie  in  the  germ  of  the  theme. 
Now  the  motto  has  all  the  say,  and  there  is  a 
great  rollicking  of  pairs  of  voices,  each  in  duet, 
in  the  same  motive  coursing  all  about,  losing 
all  rein  of  regular  pace,  at  last  quieting  down 
to  the  first  melody. 

The  answer  of  the  latter  at  the  very  begin- 
ning we  cannot  ignore.  It  has  a  certain  ancient 
humor,  sung  as  it  is  in  barbaric  unison,  again  and 
again,  like  some  well-seasoned  popular  strain : 


strings,  doubled  below  in  Fagots  and  Cellos. 


Basses  sustaining  low  A. 


As   now   the   main   melody  is  discussed  in 

fragmentary  perversions,  this  old  refrain   ever 

comes    in   with   conclusive    air,   is  even    sung 

fugally.     But  it  serves  later  to  give  one  of  the 

rarest  touches  of  primeval  humor  of  the  sym- 
400 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 


phony.  For  when  at  last  the  final  chant  of 
melodies  has  begun,  as  at  first,  and  we  look 
above  wondering,  here  is  a  strange  sound  fi"om 
the  basses  upward, — the  inverted  disguise  of  the 
comic  answering  strain : 


In  Strings,  doubled  above  and  below. 


^m 


j- 


n. 


And  now  we  are  rolling  towards  the  end,  the 
first  song  of  melodies  fuller  and  more  boisterous. 
There  is  always  the  same  feeling  of  march  of 
pious  knights.  And  there  are  many  touches 
of  the  kinship  of  the  main  themes  of  first  and 
last  movement.  For  instance,  a  sudden  quiet 
retreat  (which  is  written  Tranquillo  in  the  score), 
seems  at  first  new  with  its  strange,  slow  swing 
in  four- voiced  woodwind  : 

Tranquillo. 
Woodwind,  melody  doubled  above  in  Flutes. 
(Echo  in  Strings.) 


W: 


-M 


P 


J\ 


■t^ 


rrr~r 


r 


m 


i?=»t 


=1-* 


-s ^ 

Horns. 


401 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Now,  this  is,  of  course,  primarily  and  poeti- 
cally a  romantic  refuge  from  the  din  of  strife. 
But  in  its  melodic  origin  it  comes  not  only 
from  the  first  melody  of  the  finale,  but  most 
clearly  from  the  very  motto  of  the  original 
movement.  It  is,  indeed,  a  melody  in  this  very 
motto,  pure  and  simple. 

Strictly,  we  have  here  gone  back,  for  a  mo- 
ment, before  the  reprise  of  melodies.  Return- 
ing, after  the  final  rollicking  episode,  there  is  a 
quaint  droning  of  monks'  fugue,  in  second 
melody,  sung  in  pairs  : 


Woodwind,  doubled  above. 


I 


-^ 


Brass  and  Fagots. 


Ifc 


Strings,  leggiero. 


=^ 


ly^dE 


J' 


^^^^ 


This  broadens  into  a  march  of  big  idea  and 
spirit,  with  complex  swing,  whence  suddenly  we 
are  again  in  the  timid  Tranquillo,  now  the  sec- 
ond legend  droning  in  the  bass  : 


402 


SYMPHONIES  AND  THEIR  MEANING 

Strings  (Homs  sustaining  harmonic  tones). 


fitliii'i 


232: 


T 


f)  cresc. 


^ 


u- 


J    J      !     J 


'^     -I      ^ 


Bass  an  octave  below. 


Of  course,  this  has  the  promise  of  power. 
And  so  the  end  comes  in  a  martial  burst  with 
rapid  iteration  of  this  phrase  from  the  second 
melody. 

Brahms  may  have  appeared  to  us,  in  all  this, 
as  composer  rather  than  as  poet.  He  is,  per- 
haps, too  near  to  see  the  big  lines.  He  is,  too, 
a  recurrence  of  the  simplicity  of  earliest  mas- 
ters. We  must  not  expect  romantic  definite- 
ness.  But  the  unity  of  message  is  as  clear  as 
with  any  poet.  Finally,  he  may  be  the  pioneer 
of  greater  poetry  in  the  paths  he  has  broken. 


40J 


INDEX 

Andante,  32,  45,  49. 

Art:   Purpose,  14,  19,  30,  68-9;  limitations,  30;  mode  of  creation, 
249,  347.     See  also  Preface. 

Bach,  24,  26,  34,  36-7,  40,  70,  93,  177,  260  et  leq.,  271,  367  et 

seq. 
Beauty,  95,  96,  97,  313. 
Beethoven,  14,  19,  32-3,  45-6,  69,  71,  76-7,  82,  85,  Chaps.  V.-VI., 

177-183,  186,  189-90,  194,  201,  226-7,  168-70,  364. 
Berlioz,  100,  127,  163,  170,  251,  268. 
Brahms,  76,  102,  125,  129,  179,  z^z. 

Church  school  (of  composition),  24-27,  31,  34-5,  44-5,  71,  371. 
Classicism.      (See  Romanticism.) 

Counterpoint  (see  Polyphony),  25,  35,  75,  79,  91,  265. 
Criticism,  13  e/  seq.,  22,  342. 

Dance  (see  Minuet,  Scherzo),  26,  34,  36-8. 

Development,  38  et  seq.,  49,  75-6,  92,  94-5,  130,  134,  153. 

Durchfuhrung.      (See  Development.) 

Ethics  (in  Music),  Preface,  20  et  seq.,  192,  371  el  seq. 

Folk-Song  (sec  National  Element),  49,  190,  191,  359. 
Form,  95,  98,  192,  250  et  seq.,  343  et  seq.,  350  et  seq. 
Fugue,  42,  54,  58. 

Goethe,  72,  128,  182-3,  189-91. 

405 


INDEX 

Handel,  44. 

Haydn,  30,  32,  Chap.  III.,  70-2,  83-4,  95-6,  125,  129,  147,  153, 

226. 
Humor  (in  Music)',  30,  59,  70,  82,  104,  167  et  seq.,  225  et  leq.,  322, 

338-9,  364. 

Interpretation,  333-4. 

Jean  Paul  Richter,  258  et  seq. 

Language.     (See  Prose.) 
Listening,  Chap.  I.,  152,  347-8. 
Logic  (in  Music).     See  Sequence. 

Master  (Mastery),  249  et  seq.,  342  et  seq.,  350,  369  et  seq. 
Meaning  (in  Music),  17,  96,  98-9,   loo-i,  125  et  seq.,  148  et  seq., 
154-5,  167  et  seq.,  249  et  seq.,  270  et  seq.,  278,  308,  310  et  seq., 

330,  333-34,  344  "  «?• 
Mendelssohn,  79,  155,  170,  185,  210,  252,  263,  265-6,  Chap.  XI. 
Metaphysics  (in  Music),  134-5,  146,  177,  182,  270  er  «y.,  289-299. 
Minuet  (see  Dance,  Scherzo),  38,  51,  60,  80,  89,  152  et  seq. 
Modulation,  104. 
Mozart,   32,  43,  45-6,  Chap.    IV.,   95-6,   125,   130,    153,   178-9, 

181,  185,  190,  313. 
Music  (see   Art,  Meaning,  Symphony,  Master):    Essence,  18,  99; 

limitations,   127,   310  et  seq.  ;   power  and  purpose,   153  et  seq., 

330  «/  seq.,  345. 

National  Element  (in  Music)  (see  Folk-Song),  182,  189,  209,  309, 
322  </«^.,  327,  331,  34*. 

Opera,  127,  i88,  190,  251,  262. 
Orchestra,  44,  349. 
Overture,  349. 

406 


INDEX 

Pathos  (in  Music),  55,  161-2,  181 

Poetry,  37-8,  191,  330. 

Polyphony  (see  Counterpoint),  48,  66,  266. 

Programme  Music.      (See  Meaning.) 

Prose  (see  Language),  30,  39,  127,  155,  260,  345. 

Romanticism,  69,  182  et  sej.,  270  et  sey.,  303,  366  et  stg. 
Rondo,  33,  37,  53. 

Scarlatti,  Domenico,  36-7;   Alessandro,  36. 

Scherzo,  50,  152  et  seq.,  163,  167. 

Schiller,  98,  123,  182. 

Schubert,  66-7,  73,  93,  135-6,  161,  270,  352. 

Schumann,  94,  126,  179,  207,  211,  217,  Chaps.  VIII. -IX.,  68-9, 

351.  353- 
Scotch  Symphony,  354. 
Sequence,  315-16,  345  et  seq. 
Sonata,  24-29,  71,  and,  generally.  Chap.  II. ;  sonata  form,  32-4,  38 

't  s'q-,  53.  103;   purpose,  31,  73,  75-6. 
Symphony:   Purpose  and  Meaning  (see,  also,  Meaning),  Chap.  II., 

4^-3)  4S>  98,  loi,  308-9;   kinds  of  symphonies,  148,  310. 

Thought  (in  Music),  344  et  seq. 
Tonality,  37,  40. 

Wagner,  100,  269. 
Weber,  183-5,  189-90, 


THE  END. 


407 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


DEC  2  6  1953 
FEB  3      1954 

JUN  «3    1955 


NOV  23  195t, 
0EC2  1^95H 

WAR  2  8  1952 
^UN  2     I95i 

^^^    3  1    195^  J^':p2^ 

'''^  „1£C^0  LD-Ufifl 

FEB  4      195^^     JM    pn^ 
APR  1     ^^55 
a     1953 


JUN    '3197S. 


Vj 


/■ 


MAY  2      ^^'^ 

i'ormLy-oUmll.'oU  (2554)444 


THK  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  0'  CALIFORNU 

LOS  ANGELES 


illliii 

illiliilji 
1 


